A Destiny of Discovery and Change: The Story of a Aleu
by grizzlewolfbrown1218
Summary: A Story of Adventure, Mystery, Love, and Tragedy. Aleu went on to lead Nava's pack in a strange new land. Her new life brings challenges, happiness, and heartbreak. The Story follows this young wolf as she grows, and learns, and lives. She was once a dog, now a wolf, and the grandaughter of the demigod, Anyu. Will she succeed? Will she fail? Will others fail her? Find out within!
1. Chapter 1: Out with the Old

As Aleu climbed up onto the Large drifting sheet of Ice, she was helped up by two of the wolves nearest to her. The one she recognizes as the large brown wolf named Nuk, but the other she did not yet know. "Thank-you for your help." she sates curtly, though gratefully. The two wolves nod to her in acknowledgment. Aleu looked back at the now increasingly small shoreline, upon which her Half husky father still stood, looking outward toward them, as the distance between them grew ever larger. "Good-bye papa;" she said half to herself.

Aleu then thought it would be a good time to make a more official goodbye, and what better way to do that, and to encourage the wolves around her that everything would be fine, than to break out into a long chorus of howling. And so she took a deep breath, tilted her head skyward, and let out a long, drawn out, though beautiful howl as goodbye. Almost immediately, all the other also took up their own place in the chorus, and began letting loose their own respective howl, as they began the long journey to their new home, wherever it was that fate was to bring them.

In amongst the singing wolves, a familiar ethereal form in the shape of a chubby, brown field mouse appeared near her foreleg, as he too joined in the singing. Aleu already knew full well that as Muru was her spirit guide, no one else would hear, or see him. Then, almost as quickly as he came, Muru disappeared once again, leaving Aleu with her new friends and family in the making. By now, the shore was almost completely out of sight. As such, Aleu said, mostly to herself, one last goodbye to her father, and all that she had ever known. "Good-bye papa, I'll see again someday;" she whispered, as one small tear collected in the crux of her eye. She allowed it to fall to the frozen sheet beneath her paws, almost as though it were the last thing she held onto from her old life.

Unknown to Aleu, several of the wolves have since been watching her. The two wolves who pulled her from the icy sea water were the first to come up behind, and talk with her. "My lady," the less known wolf starts, "That was a truly inspiring start to this journey which Nava and you have started us on, however, I believe that most of them are waiting for your next command." "Mm-my command!?" Aleu stammers at first to the two large males. "Yes indeed, alphess" he starts to reassure her; "You have taken on the role of our leader, so now most of them look to you now for guidance, and leadership." Aleu hesitates for a single moment to gather her thoughts. "Alright then," she asserts, now feeling more confident; She take a step to a hump of ice slightly raised above the rest of the berg. "Attention everyone!" she starts. "I know all of you must be very nervous, and maybe even a little afraid of our current situation. However, I don't think I need to remind you all very much that you are powerful wolves, and if we work together, we _will_ get through the difficult journey which probably awaits us. If we stick together, and help one another, we will be just fine."

A volley of cheers rings forth from a large portion of the gathered canines. "Now then, first things first," she commands, "We need to keep alert for any sign of bad weather, land, and other large ice bergs. If we collide with one, it could end very badly if we aren't paying attention to it. As such, we need to place a watch during the night while the rest of us try to get as much rest as possible." She scans her audience for potential volunteers. "You there, with the dark blue fur," she points to the unknown wolf who helped pull her forth from the water. "Would you take the first watch?" Then, Aleu pauses momentarily, as she realizes, that she is caught up in the strapping young male's luminescent blue eye's. "Wow!" She thought to herself. "He looks like such a powerful, and influential male. I should really get him on my side." The male wolf responds respectfully, and in a very polite, and official manner, hoping to set an example for the others to follow: "It is my honor and pleasure to serve you, and my clan my lady." He says to her, with a deep bow of his head. "Alright everyone, you heard your leader; Try to get some sleep. Gale, If you have no objection, you will take second watch in 2 hours." "Yes Nagu. Wake me when you need a rest." Said a deep tan she wolf with a eyes like the ocean, and three white stripes leading from her nose to her cheeks, and forehead.

Aleu, overhearing this, decided to take the opportunity to speak with the male wolf, who apparently was named Nagu.

"So, your name is Nagu, is it?" She questions. He answers her, "Aye ma'am; I am the grandson of our previous alpha, Nava. As such, I have a great deal of knowledge and experience, and everyone here respects me for it. I am here to serve you now however, so if you ever need help with anything at all, I know enough about leadership that I should be able to help you." Realizing just how powerful this wolf was, she responds to his offer of companionship with equal respect; "Thank you Nagu. That means a lot to me. I think things will go much more smoothly if I actually have someone to advise me when I'm uncertain of something." "It is my pleasure and honor my lady. Nava knew there was something about you, something special, and I believe he was right." "Well it's good to know some of you believe in me. I get the feeling that not everyone is as confident in Nava's choice as you are though." Aleu confides to him. Nagu reassures her, "Well though that may be true, just remember; a good Leader is never truly alone. There are many wolves here who would willingly die for you. There is me, and there is also Gale over there;" he points with a nod. "She is a good, loyal wolf. She will not easily let you down. Then there is Nuk, who you already know." He says, as Aleu glances over to her large, sleeping friend. She smiles a little to herself, thinking how much cuter he is while sleeping; Almost like a fluffy teddy bear.

Her reflection on her thoughts of Nuk are cut short however, as Nagu takes on a more ominous tone. "As for the wolves you should worry about, there is Night-shade, over there." He nods in the direction of a deep purple-brown wolf staring at the two of them from across the burg; her dark brown and red iris's and over large pupils seemingly burning through Aleu's very soul. When Night-shade caught them looking her way, she turns away, pretending to go to sleep. A shiver runs along Aleu's back to her tail tip, making her fur stand on end slightly. "Ugh; She seems like she's already thinks of ways to hurt me." she says, half sounding like a frightened pup. Nagu notices her reaction, and speaks to Aleu in a reassuring tone, though still with a hint of ominous warning, "Yea, her eyes tend to make you feel like that sometimes. She's a very ambitious wolf, and if she thinks she can take an opportunity to gain power in some way, she usually takes it." Aleu gulps, knowing that Nagu's statement was not meant to sound pleasant. "However, she is loyal to her clan, and so long as we all work for the betterment of the clan, there probably won't be any issues."

Hearing this gave Aleu an idea. "Nagu, what are the first few things you think would be best to accomplish when we reach land?" Nagu takes a moment to think on what would be need most. "Well," he starts, "When we get off the ice everyone will likely be cold, and stiff, and we're all already hungry." He takes another moment, pricking Aleu's interest, and her ears, as she looks back to Nagu. "I think when we get everyone safe onto land, we should find the strongest wolves, and send out a scouting party to find shelter, and a hunting party to see if any food can be found. We will also need some source of water." Aleu thought on this for a moment. "Yes, that makes a lot of sense. Thank you Nagu. It's good to have someone with more wisdom than me to talk to." He nods to her in the affirmative. "You should get some sleep my Alpha. If we come upon land tomorrow, you will need your strength to lead everyone to the safety of the shore." She thanks him again, and walks off to the side a ways, and before she knew it her eye's were heavy laden with sleep, and so she dosed off like that in the presence of her new ally, Nagu, under the light of a massive full moon.

Aleu's sleep is not at all steady, or peaceful. The ice, stiff, and lifeless beneath her seemed to sap every-bit of warmth from her body. She awoke shivering, to the masculine, and wise voice of Nagu asking if she was alright. "Oh... sorry," she replied, now awake, though still shivering. "It's just this ice is terrible to sleep on." He looked down on her with a hint of amusement. "You know my lady, there's a reason why everyone else is sleeping close to one another." Aleu looked out over the mass of wolves. Nagu was right. No single wolf was seen. They all had arranged themselves in groups of two, and three. "Oh..." she replied, now feeling slightly embarrassed. "I Guess that makes sense too." Nagu's look changed to one of slight pity. "You know, if you still want to sleep, my shift is almost over. We could keep each other warm." At this Aleu's eyes widened a little, but her ears flooded back with embarrassment, and she felt the burning heat of blood pulse through them, and her cheeks. She looked down slightly from his eyes, "I'd like that." she finally managed after what seemed a minute. She smiled to her self, then looked back up at Nagu. He smiled back, just long enough to show he was happy to be there for her.

He then padded over to the still sleeping Gale. After he pawed her gently and whispered into her ear, she opened her eyes, yawned, and stretched. They said something else to each other just out of Aleu's hearing. Gale looked her, gave a small smile, and nodded curtly to Nagu. She walked over to where Aleu was still laying. "You really should try to get some sleep my lady, I'm sure you'll find Nagu will make it much easier for you." She said with a humorous twinkle in her eye. Aleu noticed her humor, and once again felt the burning in her ears and cheeks, though now she somewhat liked the thoughts it brought with it. She smiled a little in acknowledgment of Gale, who smiled back, nodded curtly to her, as before, and walked off to take up her post. Just after she left, Nagu followed up, and lay next to Aleu, his fur brushing her own. She felt a comfortable warmth flow into her as they began sharing their body heat. Now much more comfortable, Aleu lay down her head onto his forelegs, and he lay his own on top of hers. "Tomorrow will be a big, and difficult day." He warmly cooed to her as she lay there becoming more drowsy by the moment. "Yes, but if we work together, it won't be a problem." she replied, almost asleep now. Together, they found sleep in almost no time at all, and this time, Aleu was able to stay asleep.

Two days had passed since that one cold night. Since then, Aleu had met several of the wolves, and made close friends with Gale. It was almost morning on the third day on the ice berg, when the wolf Night-shade, and her older sister, Marigold, cried out in unison from the far side of the ice sheet, "Land! Everybody, were almost to the ice bridge! And there's land just beyond it!" A wave of Excitement passed through the wolves, who were previously fast asleep, as they came to. Everyone rushed to the side hoping to view the end of the journey. This was a big mistake. As the combined weight of the wolves moved over to the one side, the entire ice sheet began to tip. From the far side, Aleu, Nagu, and Gale were only just awakened, but now stared on in horror as they could see what was happening. The three of them cried out together to the mass of wolves to get away from the edge. Many of them, upon hearing their leaders, looked behind and also saw what was happening. All the wolves hurried away from the edge, just in time. With a heavy splash, the airborne side of the berg collided with the water, generating a large wave, cause the entire berg to begin moving at a much faster pace toward the ice bridge.

All the wolves saw this effect, and they all knew what it meant. At their current speed, the ice berg would smash into the ice bridge, and if the ice bridge itself wasn't destroyed, their own ice berg would certainly be. And so, everyone looked to Aleu, waiting for her next order. Seeing this development, Nagu took the opportunity to nudge Aleu into taking the next action. ""My lady, I think they are waiting for you to decide the next course of action." Said Nagu. Aleu, took a deep breath, and made her decision. "Everybody, as you can clearly see, this situation has potential to be quite dangerous. We may only get one chance to run onto the ice bridge, and make a break for the shore line." She paused, looking around at their transfixed stares, as they hung onto every word she spoke to them, out of fear, for they all knew she was right. "Now, when the iceberg hits the bridge, there will probably be a _very_ big jolt. It may even be useful to use it your advantage to get a head start, because as soon as we do hit that bridge, it may start breaking up itself, so we'll need to run to the shore as fast as we can."

She paused again, this time seeing some of the wolves murmuring to each other little phrases like, "She's right about that!", and "This could actually work." She also heard a bad phrase or two including, "that mutt is going to get us all killed!".

She took no mind to the negatives, however, as the bridge was very near now, and they had no time for arguments, or hesitation. "Alright everybody! It looks like where we will hit is pretty large, so as soon as we come to a stop, use your momentum to jump onto the bridge! Ready!?" Aleu looked to her friends Nuk, Nagu, and Gale, hoping to get some reassurance. Just as she had hoped, they all gave her the same look of loyal determination, and confidence. Their trust in her gave her more confidence of her own. She looked back to the approaching mass of ice, and tried to time it. "Five; "she thought to her self. "Four; " Getting closer. "Three; " "Get Ready!" She shouted aloud. "Two; " "Run for the Edge!" She Commanded, as they did so. Finally, the last number and the moment of truth. "One!"

The ice berg collided with a larger, but thankfully equally raised berg, and a teeth jarring force passed through all who were on board. Had they not been in motion already, it might have caused many to lose their balance, and maybe even fall over the edge, hurting themselves. As she ran along to the edge of her berg, side by side with her friends, she prayed a silent prayer to any spirit guides close enough to hear her; "Please help us all to get through this! I don't want to get anybody killed under my lead." Then, Aleu could swear she heard a whisper in her ear which sounded like Muru. It said to her, "Keep running Aleu. Keep leading." Spurred onward by this reassurance, she jumped off her berg, just as a massive series of cracks broke it apart, flinging heavy, powerful pieces of icy shrapnel whizzing above their heads! She thought this would be a good time to re-state what the voice had told her, for all to hear. "Keep running everyone! Keep running!"

They kept running, and now the entire clan had almost reached the shore. However, Aleu noticed a gut wrenching sound coming from behind her. "Is that what I think it is!?" she asked herself, and Nagu between her rough panting breaths.

Once she was on a reasonably large sheet of ice, so she wouldn't fall in, Aleu took a moment to glance behind her. Sure enough, all the ice bergs were being cracked, and pushed away from one another, because of the effects of the crash. It was a very fast approaching breakage, and was almost upon them. However, they were almost to the shore now. They were not fast enough however. The breaking ice caught Aleu, and several others, separating them from the safety of the unmoving bergs and from the other wolves in the pack. Aleu had to dig her claws into the cold, hard ice to keep the jarring forces from knocking her off her paws. After a moment, the jarring motions subsided enough to let her walk again, but too soon, she, and the others let their guard down. She looked back, just in time to see Nagu, Night-shade, her sister Marigold, and Gale. Immediately, much smaller berg traveling much faster collided with them, and split their berg clean in two. Aleu was knocked off of her feet, but she got up again, quickly enough to see that the three she wolves had been knocked onto the edge of the half she was on, and Nagu was still on the other half, though he immediately started jumping his way trying to reach the four of them to help. Aleu Wasted no time, and went over to help Night-shade; She promptly chastised Aleu, saying, "No, not me, her! Save her! Save my sister!" Aleu did not hesitate, however. She gripped Night-shade by the scruff, and pulled. At that moment, Nagu had made his way back, and promptly stated, "I'll get Gale!" Hearing this, and seeing Night-shade, now standing, tending to her larger sister, she decided to help. However, just then, Nagu slipped on the wet ice, and began to fall in with Gale. Aleu reacted swiftly, biting hard into his tale, and pulling. She and Nagu managed to pull Gale up, and just then, as they were turning to aid Night-shade, they saw the final moment of Marigold. The berg had drifted too close to another, and they were too late to help. Marigold knew her time had come, and so pushed her sister away from the edge, pushing herself into the water as she did so, with a single instant remaining, she looked to her sister a look of goodbye, and the ice bergs slammed together fused by the force of impact. Marigold was dead.

The four remaining wolves simply stand awestruck at what was just witnessed. Stricken with horror, Aleu freezes, just staring at the place where one of her wolves had just been, unable to fully grasp how quickly things had gotten so bad. At this point, Aleu vaguely notices how sound, and even time itself seemed to be going slower. However, despite Aleu's state, there was no time to waste, so very quickly, Nagu regains his composure, and immediately awakens Aleu from her trance-like state. "My lady! Can you understand me?! Please, we must go now!", he pleads. Aleu heard his voice as if he were far off, however, hearing his words, she quickly remembered that they were all still in very great danger. Seeing that Aleu had finally come to her senses, Nagu turns to Night-shade, who is still staring at the place where her sister used to be. "Night-shade" They begin to plead. "Night-shade please, there's no time to grieve right now!" "Grieve!? GRIEVE!? I didn't even get to say goodbye!" she responded venomously. "You could have saved her! This is all your fault!" said Night-shade, before turning tale toward the shore, and dashing away, before either Aleu or Nagu could say anything.

Nagu starts toward the shore, but quickly realizes that Aleu is not following. Suddenly terrified, he quickly turns back, but is relieved to see her still standing, at least. "My lady, we really must go. It isn't safe! We..." he starts, but is interrupted as another volley of collisions too close for comfort start up again. Aleu, only now being jolted fully aware by the jolt of the closest impact, makes a motion for Nagu to go ahead, while she followed close behind.

Within minutes, Aleu and Nagu are finally close enough to the shore that the dangers of the ice bergs had passed. Just ahead, Aleu smells the sweet scent of pine boughs, and so she looks up, and there, on the shore is her pack safe, and waiting for their leader to return. She and Nagu step off of the final ice berg, and Aleu stumbles slightly upon the soft sand, now something almost completely alien to her paws, having spent several days at sea on a block of ice. She turns now, to see her pack. The remainder is all safe, though somewhat ragged, sickly, and some even shivering. Off in the distance, she barely sees Night-shade, silhouetted against some dark foliage, seeming to shake a little violently. Aleu assumed she was weeping for her deceased sister. Aleu decided to herself that she ought to try to make amends, and she started off in the direction of Night-shade. However, seeing what she was up to, Nagu intervenes. "Wait, my Lady; This may not be a good time to speak to her. She simply needs to grieve, and she blames you. You should wait for another time, perhaps after her friends have calmed her a bit." Aleu glanced back to Night-shade, and saw that he was right. Already, several other wolves had crowded around Night-shade, and seemed to be trying to comfort her. "Sometimes bad things happen Alphess. When they do, you must simply cope, and then fix what went wrong at the right time after. Now may not be the right time. Night-shade is a powerful wolf, and she may attempt to avenge her sister's death." Said Nagu. Aleu responds, "do you think it's my fault? Could I have saved her?" she asks desperately, turning now to look him in the eyes, now feeling tears start to well up. "No, alphess. I believe you made a choice between Gale and I, and Marigold, and I for one thank you for having saved us. However, all this aside my lady, the rest of the pack still needs you to lead them. So, what are your orders?"


	2. Chapter 2: A New Land, A New Life

It was sunrise, and all the wolves were finally safe on the beach. All but one. It had been nearly a half an hour since the first wolf stepped onto the wet sand. Now, however, there was work to be done, and Aleu near perfectly well by now, that it was much up to her to organize the clan's efforts. The first two orders of business were to find food and shelter, just as she and Nagu had discussed two nights ago. "Alright Nagu, it's time we got to work. I need you to take a small hunting patrol out to bring back as much food as you can bring back quickly." Nagu responds, "As you wish my lady. I'll form a team, and set out at once." "Very good. Hurry back when you find food, and please let me know if you find fresh water anywhere." Aleu says to Nagu, spurring him onward. "Now then, where did Gale disappear to?" she asked herself. She lifted her nose and breathed in the smells of the forest. Then she caught Gale's scent behind her. "Looking for me?" Her sudden announcement made Aleu jump slightly. "Oh for goodness sake Gale! Please don't sneak up on me like that." Gale responds with a humorous lesson for Aleu, "Sorry my lady, but you should know, out here in the forest, not everything which sneaks up on you will be so friendly!" "Funny." Says Aleu, ending the subject. "Now then, we have work to do. Please take a small team of the healthier wolves out to scout for anything dangerous, or useful, maybe even a cave we can stay in for a while." "Of course my lady. I'll take care of it." Aleu nods her thanks to her friend, and turns away, looking for the next big issue. It did not take her long to find the next problem.

As Aleu began rallying together the remaining wolves, the ones who hadn't gone on scouting, or hunting teams, it was clear why they were left here. Many of them were very old and weak from hunger, thirst, and exposure. Of course Aleu took pity upon them, but she was about to discover a far worse problem. Aleu eventually came upon the sickest wolf in the small crowd. She was a young she wolf named Whispering-Wind, if she remembered correctly. She was frail at the best of times, and usually had a creme colored coat with a single long, golden stripe running along her back, which usually seemed to glow in the sunlight; but now, her coat was pale, and ragged, and Aleu could count 3 ribs along her side. Aleu approached the young she wolf, and quickly noticed that her breathing was sour smelling, and raspy. Aleu thought to herself, "Oh no. This looks bad." Aleu came closer still to the now clearly sick young lupine. She sniffed at the sleeping female, and licked her ear. Aleu noted that her temperature was much higher than it should be. She thought to herself, "I've seen this be...", just then a familiar voice, though just a whisper interrupted her thoughts. "Aleu, you know what is wrong with this girl. You have it within yourself to heal her." Aleu quickly recognized the voice of Muru, her spirit guide. Then, she remembered something she had learned while living near the humans of Nome, Alaska. Whenever the humans are sick, in addition to drinking lots of tasty water from a bowl that smelled strangely of chicken and several tasty spices, they also took medicine from the doctor. Aleu knew they didn't have any special medicine here, but she did know where they could find some of the tasty herbs, assuming they grew in this new land. She recalled their names; "Turmeric, for the lungs." "Fever few, or willow rush could help with the fever. "And lastly, "oregano, or some sweet tasting berry for energy." Aleu also knew perfectly well that Whispering-Wind didn't have a chance if they didn't find her some food, and soon. She took one last look at the poor, dying lupine. "I'll be back to help you soon." A grown of agony, followed by another rack of coughing was the only response. Thus, Aleu set one of the nearby elders to see to it that she was kept warm, and off she went to try to find something, anything which might help stop the onset of Pneumonia.

Aleu was in the forest now, deeply concentrating on trying to smell out the herbs she knew Whispering-Wind so desperately needed to get better. She stood there now, on a large boulder surrounded on every direction by forest. She let her eyes close, and let the sounds of the forest flow through her as she had learned to do while playing hide and seek with Muk and Luk back in Nome; a time that now seemed so long ago. She thought she noticed movement in the brush, not very far away, to the north east. Yes, now she could feel the presence, lightly treading a ravine edge, just above her. Now, Aleu was able to smell what so elluded her previously. "It's... a Fox! Carrying all the herbs I Need?" Aleu's eyes snapped open in that same instant, as she prepared to chase down the little animal. However, there was no need, because there, standing not 2 meter away, was a young female Vulpine; and she was delivering the herbs to Aleu.

"Hello little one." said the fox. "Little!? Who are you exactly, and how did you know I was looking for exactly those?" The fox put on a sly looking grin, and stated, "Let's just say a raven told me you would need my help when you got to this island." Then in a more serious tone, she said, "I am Elandra. I am spirit walker, meaning I live, and breath the work of the spirits who ask me to provide help to individuals who have great destinies." Just then, Aleu remembered that it was a raven who had started her, and her father on the original quest to find the wolves she was with even now. "So, a raven told you where to find me?" "Not quite, little one. This Island is my home. I guess the spirits want me to provide help often to you and Nava's wolf pack. I even helped you father when he was originally searching for you." Hearing this, Aleu recalled the part of the story her father had told her involving a crafty fox. "So, that really was you? And now your here to help me?" "You seem surprised little one. I'd think after seeing your own spirit guide, and following a raven to lead a pack of wolves over an entire ocean, you would have a bit more of an open mind." "How do you know about Muru!?" Aleu demanded, her curiosity now peaking. "I told you already. It is my life's work to aid the spirits as they aid the creatures of this world. I was even there when you were in the cave with Muru. Now then, as I recall, you are in need of these to help heal a sick friend of yours. I suggest you bring these to her promptly. And remember, You have it within yourself to succeed Aleu." And with that, the fox was simply gone, as quickly as she appeared.

Though Aleu still felt a burning curiosity, she knew the fox was right. She had to hurry back with these herbs, and hopefully regroup with Gale and Nagu. So, she grabbed the odd flavored herb mixture in her mouth, and ran back to camp as quickly as she dared, since she still was unfamiliar with the terrain.

Once she returned to the camp, Aleu found Gale now tending to Whispering-Wind, and so she approached them both. Gale looked up when she scented her Alpha approaching. "You know my lady, you don't really smell like a true wolf yet. We may need to work on that." Aleu and Gale both knew that there were few people, wolf or not, who it would be tolerable to talk to like that, Gale and Nagu included. "Here Whispering-Wind..." she said through her mouth full, before dropping them before her. "Excuse me my lady;" said an elderly male wolf with a jet black coat, "but sometimes it is necessary for the healer or the alpha to first chew the food of the sick, should they prove too weak themselves. Since you are currently both, perhaps you might consider it." Aleu thanks the old one for his wisdom. She then instructed Gale to prepare to open Whispering-Wind's mouth. She then braced herself, as she knew at least two of the ingredients tasted absolutely foul, namely willow bark, and dandelion greens. It then dawned on her that these valuable plants didn't even grow this time of year. "How in this world did that craft little fox get these?" Aleu gathered the herbs and roots into her mouth and chewed.

She chewed deliberately, and thoroughly, trying not to swallow any of it, for it's horrible taste. A few seconds passed before she nodded to Gale to open the sick she wolf's mouth wide enough for Aleu to shove her own nose completely down to the back of Whispering-Wind's throat, where she knew the she wolf would have no opportunity to spit out the contents. Although once Aleu had finished regurgitating the whole of the material into the young wolf's throat, she was glad to have Gale there for help, as the sick one immediately began spasming, as though about throw the herbs back up again. Thus, she and Gale would have to hold her body still, and her mouth shut until they were certain that she had taken to the medication. It only lasted for a few seconds before Whispering-Wind calmed once again. Aleu wanted to tell Gale thanks, and if she knew how long until Nagu returned from the hunt, but just as she formulated the sentence in her mind, Nagu's greeting howl sound from behind the ridge, followed by his team dragging 2 large Caribou. Aleu half expected them all to shout "Food!" and run to stuff their faces but instead the hunting patrol lined the two carcasses up, and everyone simply stared at Aleu, waiting for her to do something. Saving Aleu the awkward moment, Nava informed Aleu of another of their rules, saying, "My lady, it is normally tradition for the Alpha to eat first in a pack wide hunt. They wait now, for you." "O...ooOh , oh OK then." Aleu started shakily, taken aback slightly by the surprise. She steps forward, tears off one of the legs, and brings it over to where Gale and Whispering-Wind still lay. Nagu sees this, and decides to bring over his own piece to attempt to speak with Aleu.

"Whispering-Wind, can you hear me?" Aleu tries, but to avail. "Oh well." She says to Gale, "Here we go again." "I think you'll find she'll take meat much more easily than herbs." Said Nagu from behind Aleu. "I should know, Nava cared for me when I was ill as a pup, and he did the same thing." Gale had a statement of her own, saying, "You must know a good amount of the things Nava knew. I know a few things myself. Perhaps we should show them to you my lady." "Yes, that's a great idea! You two would be so much help to me. Thank you!" Aleu was ecstatic, that is until Gale side nodded to the sick wolf at their paws, reminding her of her gruesome duty. "Well, wind... down the hatch." She took a large mouth full of the fresh, mouth watering meat still dripping from her mouth with its valuable essence. She again chewed the food carefully, so to insure she didn't swallow much. She nodded to Gale when she was ready, and this time only had to set the Regurgitated food upon the she wolf's tongue before she immediately began pulling it down. "Wow, you were right Nagu. Thanks for the tip!" "Your welcome my lady. I think she'll only need one more. Anymore and she might get a bellyache instead. That one has never really eaten much food. Also could you come find me when you are finished my lady, I'd like to speak with you." With that, Nagu turned a walked off into the crowd of wolves pulling at the Caribou. Aleu chewed some of her own food now, though too thoughtful to truly appreciate its taste. If Nagu wanted to speak with her in private, it may well be very important.

A few minutes later, Aleu finds Nava by a lake she had followed his scent to, and finds him lapping at the water. She sneaks up on him this time, but instead of scaring him, she also leans down to take a drink. Nagu flicks his ears just as she begins to lean down, indicating his acknowledgment. Nagu then waits for Aleu to finish quenching her own thirst. She finishes with a final satisfied gulp, and returns to a sitting position next to Nagu. "I trust you've already shown the others where to find water to drink?" she pings at him. "Yes. I've already informed the others of a stream closer to the beach, but in the other direction. This beautiful pond I found by chance." Aleu had not noticed until now, but Nagu was right. She noticed that the sun was beginning to set, and as the red light filtered through the trees, it sparkled off of the still, clear water, and shown its reflection cast upon the trees in every direction around the clearing. "I wanted to talk to you for a few reasons." This caught Aleu's interest. This was definite something she should be involved in. "The first thing is that Gale is perfectly correct. You've already made much progress from the helpless dog who stumbled onto our territory." Though the comment stung a little, and made her ears twitch backward slightly, the look in his eyes, so serious yet serene, and full of wisdom, told her that he meant it with great pride in her. "However, if you want to continue leading this clan for very long, you will need to get even better at delegating, but also you must learn to take part in hunts regularly. I can show you how to hunt, and fight, in case we have competition here, and Gale can teach you more about tracking. There are too many customs and rules to worry about learning in one day. As they come up, you may want to ask Gale, or me for advice. We are here for you." "Thank you Nagu." she gratefully replied. "There's another important thing. There are three main ranks of wolves, and you are the Alpha. Gale, Niju, and I were all betas under Nava. Now, however, we are once again Omegas, the lower class. If you want things to run more smoothly, perhaps you would consider reinstating us to betas?" "Hmm..." she pondered aloud. "You've definitely proved yourself so far, as has Gale. Alright then, as soon as Nuk returns with news of shelter, I think that's when I should start worrying about ceremony. Until then, you are hereby re-instated to beta. Please inform Gale that she will also be formerly recognized later tonight." "Yes my alpha; I will serve you, and my clan to my dying breath." As he starts back to camp, Aleu call out to him, still facing the pond, with her back to him. "Wait, Nagu! One more thing I'd like to say." He turns to see her practically glowing with a halo of light about her, hust to see her turn a mischievous grin, with a twinkling eye to meet his gaze. "I want you and Gale to call me Aleu."

Within the hour, just as the sunset comes to an end, shortly after Aleu and Nagu arrive back to check on Whispering-Wind, the scouting party headed by Nuk returns. He makes a quick debrief that a cave almost perfect for them to stay in isn't very far from the beach. He then goes off with his team to take their part in the now long ended feeding frenzy.

Meanwhile, Gale and Nagu Lay near Whispering-Wind, providing her with plenty of warmth. Wind had been conscious now for almost a quarter of an hour, in human time. Though Aleu had not been present when she first awoke, Gale had taken the liberty of telling Whispering-Wind the whole tale of how Aleu had saved her life. When she met Aleu shortly after, she had displayed a sense of reverence, and gratitude toward Aleu, much to Aleu's dislike at being practically worshiped; although, she had to admit, it was nice to have someone younger than yourself look up to you so much. In fact, it surprised Aleu that this young female, not much older than late adolescence, had decided that she wanted to learn to be the next clan healer.

After a short time, all the weakened elders, and wind had gained enough strength that Nagu believed it was high time they made their way to this cave Nuk spoke of, before the cold nighttime temperatures caused more problems. At Aleu's command, the wolves move out, with Nuk and Aleu at the head, followed by Gale and Nagu who were helping Whispering-Wind. Everyone else formed up behind them. It was not a too long a walk to the cave; only about a league, so the walk there was over fairly quickly.

As they finally approached the opening to the cave, a prolonged "Woop!" rang out from the assembled wolves, as they howled their sheer delight in near synchronous chorus, followed immediately by a rush of disorderly conduct as every wolf attempted to claim the best sleeping area. Aleu swore to herself, that if it weren't quite so funny a sight to watch, she'd have had Nagu create some sort of disciplinary action. It was an action, which Aleu noted, he did not seem far from on his own, seeing his ears lying flat, and his teeth partially bared, in his concealed dislike for how rambunctious the clan was acting. "I think we can give them a little break Nagu. Ya'know, just this once." said Aleu, playfully nudging his shoulder. His response was a snort of amusement. "We should still make sure we take care of elders, and mothers for the mating season." Aleu's ears pricked, and burned with a slight embarrassment. Seeing her reaction, Nagu was quick to end the subject, saying, "A task we will only have to take care of some other day, when it becomes relevant." Seeing his attempt to rectify his first statement, she decided to leave it where he did, and replied, "That's a good plan. For now, we'll just make sure everyone has a place to sleep."

Nagu and Gale had long since gone off to find their own bedding places, but Aleu simply sat their at the cave mouth, looking in at her clan. They were safe now, and it was a good feeling.

Before he had left her by the cave mouth, Aleu had instructed Nagu to inform Gale that Aleu would soon hold the ceremony to to re-instate the rank of Beta to Nagu Nagu and Gale. She also made a note to herself that perhaps she ought to consider finding a teacher of healing for Whispering-Wind. Perhaps even Elandra, the fox would be willing, although Aleu could imagine that she would be very busy much of the time. Regardless, she decided that this would get done, but not now, as it was high time she began the makeshift ceremony, and now everyone was finally calm enough that they wouldn't mind a distraction. And so she began, "Attention all wolves! May I have your attention please!" As her howl rang through the cave, all eyes became fixed upon her, and all talking ceased. She noted, that they were actually intent of listening for a change. She continued, "It has come to my attention that as your new Alpha, I still have yet to name any beta wolves to aid in organizing this clan. Thus, I hereby correct this issue now. Nagu and Gale, you are hereby reinstated to your previous ranks of Beta wolves. May your authority aid you in serving me, and serving this clan. Nuk, I also want to promote you to the rank of Beta. May your strength be used to protect us all." This announcement suprised everyone, including Nagu, Gale, and especially Nuk, though he showed great happiness once it set in. "Thonk ya mistruss", he said in his thick ruse accent. "I vill do my very best to serve you and dis clan!" Aleu responded, "That is all I ask of you Nuk." She now concluded the ceremony, "Thank you every wolf, you may now return to your bed preparations."

As she released them to do their own business, Aleu walked over the the raised ledge at the very back of the cave, which Nagu had made a bed of cedar boughs for her in. On the way, she noticed that in one of the corners of the cave, Night-shade was once again glaring at her with her burning lifeless eyes. Aleu looked away, intentionally trying to forget about the Dark she wolf, thought not before she recalled the terrible memory; the look of terror on Marigolds face the second before she disappeared, and how angry Night-shade was with her for not saving her sister. As she stepped close to the newly made bed, she could still smell the sweet piny scent which wafted from it, driving away the cold lump in the pit of her stomach, and drying the tear which had collected in the corner of her eye. "Hmmm... Cedar. One of my favorite smells." Aleu nodded her thanks to Nagu, who promptly returned the gesture.

As she lay down in her newly made bed, she was surprised by Nagu as he padded his way up to her. "That was very well done Aleu. I'm sure Nuk will do his very best to make you proud of him now." She noted the wide grin Nava displayed, and smiled back at him, saying, "I'm sure he will. I chose him because I trust him to do good works, just as I trust you and Gale." Nagu's smile widened a little at this, and he simply wished her goodnight. "Wait Nagu, one more thing." He stopped and turned to look at Aleu. "Could you inform Nuk that I want him to assemble a team to scout out everything to the west. Gale could do the same for the east. I want to know of any dangers, and we need to set our territory." "Of course My lad... I...I mean Aleu." He stammered, remembering her request. "If you so desire, I could also assemble a hunting party to find food for breakfast, and bring it back to the cave for those who are still a little weak." Aleu thought on this for a moment. "Yes." She replied, "That's a good plan. Also, if you have any time tomorrow, I still need a little training with stealth and stalking if I'm going to take part in any hunts." Nagu remembered now the suggestion he had made, and replied, "Right then. I'll see if I can be back around sun-high. We could begin then." They nodded to one another, as he padded away, over to his own bed.

Meanwhile, Nagu and Gale have a very quiet conversation. "She's even more like Nava than even I expected." Said Gale, looking up at Aleu's bed, "She is definitely the granddaughter of Anyu." Nagu responded, "Yeah. It's actually pretty amazing. She learns new things so fast." Gale returns, "And did you see how she was able to heal Whispering-Wind so easily, and with just a few herbs!? I could swear, she has some kind of effect, like an aura... just like Nava." At this Nagu's ears twitched, indicating how he missed his grandfather. Gale noticed, but she didn't try much to comfort him, as she also missed the old, wise gray wolf. After a moment, Nagu closed the conversation, saying, "Well, he chose her for a reason. Still, we should probably not let her know of her own heritage yet, or for that matter, let anyone else know. They might take it the wrong way. Especially Night-shade; that poor she wolf. If she wasn't so dangerous and unpredictable, I'd feel sorry for her. For now though, we should keep our eye's on her, for Aleu's sake." They nodded to each other in agreement and went their separate ways.

Nagu looked back up at Aleu, who still lay in her bed, looking out among the gathered wolves. She seemed to be thinking about something, judging by a strange, distant look she was wearing, and with ears angled slightly rearward, it was clear she was somewhat uncomfortable with it. Now Nagu simply watched her, wondering what she was thinking; He decided to go and talk to her about whatever was bugging her.

Aleu on the other hand was feeling somewhat lonely. Below her, in the cave, the wolves had all gathered together into groups of two and three. They seemed to be talking, and grooming each other, nothing more. Aleu recalled what it was like when she and her siblings would often do the same thing when she was still a pup. A familiar pang of loneliness struck Aleu, making her ears twitch slightly rearward. "We call it sharing tongues Aleu." Said Nagu from the bottom of the ledge, surprising Aleu, as she was not expecting him to come over. She looked over to where he now Prepared to jump up the small distance to the ledge. Once he was up, he gingerly stepped around her, then sat down on her right. "Every night everybody finds someone, whether a friend, a brother, or even a lover; and they just talk about life, and help each other get clean. If they don't take the time to do so, they generally wind up like those three goofballs there." He said, pointing with his snout toward the place where Nuk, Yak and Sumac slept. Aleu couldn't help but giggle a little at this, for she knew full well that Yak and Sumac were practically flea ridden. Nuk hung out with them simply because they were litter mates. "Well who is you partner tonight, Nagu?" Aleu asked tentatively . He returns, "Normally I might join Gale with her other friend Maple over there." He said, pointing now to where Gale lay with a Maple colored male with white tipped paws, and a white tipped tale. "However, seeing as you don't have a partner tonight, I be happy to join you." Now, Aleu felt the familiar burn in her ears, but she didn't bother to fight it. "Thank you Nagu. I'd like a little company." With Aleu's approval, Nagu delicately began passing his rough tongue over Aleu's silky mane fur. First against it to clean it, then with it to lay it flat, and smooth again. As he did so, Aleu simply went back to thinking to herself over the events of the day. "Nagu?" She started, "Do you think I should try to patch things up with Night-shade soon?" Nagu paused a moment while cleaning the back of one of her ears. "Maybe it would be worth a shot, but just remember Aleu, she is one dangerous wolf; and now she may hold a grudge against you." She sighed. "I wouldn't blame her." "You can't do that to yourself Aleu! Your just one person. Alpha or not, your choice saved two, but cost one. Things happen that you can't control." Slightly taken aback by his rigorous retort, Aleu started to protest, but Nagu continued. "Sometimes, when these things happen, you just have to... to..." Nagu stopped now, and looked away, but Aleu noticed a single tear at the corner of his eye. "Nagu," she started gingerly, "what happened to your parents. I know Nagu was your grandfather, but you've never once mentioned them."

Nagu, having recovered from his moment of sadness, now faced Aleu with his regular look of determination. "When I was just a few months old, something happened to my father. I was in camp with my siblings, just playing. I heard someone call Nava for help, that there were hunters coming for us. It was my father. He had been wounded by a hunter, but found his way back." Aleu couldn't help but look on with a certain horror, and sadness in her eyes. Now, she was the one who started to tear up. Nagu continued, "The next few hours were hectic, and I don't remember much. In the end, we were all running for our lives, trying to get out of the area with our skins intact, and my mother found me. There was a lot of smoke. Apparently the hunters used brush fires to make us run certain places. My mother knew what they meant, so she took me, and jumped through one of the brush fires. I heard a loud cracking noise, which I know now was what sealed my mother's fate." He looked on now past Aleu, as if seeing the very scene he described before him; his eyes were vacant, but were once again tearing. "With great pain in her voice, my mother hid me under a pricker bush and told me to stay hidden until someone came for me. After what seemed like hours, it was Nava who came for me. He told me that my parents would no longer be able to care for me. I was raised by him ever since." Now Aleu allowed a single tear to fall from her eye. "I am so, so sorry Nagu. I can't even imagine what that must have been like for you. Thank you for sharing with me though." She said carefully, as she looked away in shame of her own pitiful homesickness. Nagu saw Aleu's reaction, and knew what she must have thought about herself, as he said now, "Your story may not be as sad as mine Aleu, but there's nothing wrong with feeling a little homesick, or lonely. It's like I said, it's not about what happens, it's about how you handle the things that do happen." Aleu could only smile at this. Then it was her turn to clean Nagu, so she took the opportunity to place a single lick across his brow in gratitude for his wisdom, then she moved to cleaning around his mane. Although at first she had to shift herself, as his head was slightly out of reach at first, do to his sheer size. They both found this to be slightly comical, but Nagu lowered his head to where she could reach it. He couldn't help but find the feeling of her rasping tongue to be soothing, and he felt as though he could drift off to sleep after the long day. However, he knew there was still something bothering her, and so he attempted to get her to talk some more.

He started, "now, about Night-shade; like I said, she might be dangerous, but she can't lawfully challenge you unless she becomes A beta first." Aleu stopped long enough to question him. "Challenge? What does that mean?" Seeing he got a little of her attention, Nagu continued, "In the clan, many disputes over rank are solved by a simple duel between wolves. If Night-shade were to become Alpha as she seems to want, she'll need to fight either me, Gale, or Nuk first. No one would trust an Omega who simply managed to beat an alpha." Aleu was a little concerned now. "But then, my naming you three as Betas tonight opens the door for her to challenge me." Nagu saw this coming. He said in return, "Yes, but we were Betas before too you know. We know how to fight just fine. If she wants to become a Beta, she'll need to get past us first." Although this didn't relieve all of Aleu's anxiety, she did feel a little comforted, and she let her ears relax, which she discovered were laying flat as planks against her head. "Well in that case, you should probably teach me how to fight well too Nagu. I'm not exactly a push over, but she's been doing this for a lot longer than I have." She replied between strokes of her tongue. This Nagu definitely agreed with. "Alright, but also consider taking lessons from Gale and Nuk too. We each have our own fighting style which suits us, but it may not be the best fit for you. You'll want to change it up a bit so you'll have the best moves for yourself."

Now finished with his mane, Aleu moved on to Nagu's upper flank. The change in her motions tickled Nagu ever so slightly, but he couldn't help but feel a small shiver of delight pass down his spine. Searching for something else to keep the conversation going, his eyes passed over the creme colored she wolf with the golden streak, sleeping very soundly by now on a bed of her own cedar boughs. "I see that Whispering-Wind is up and about now. You must have done a very good job healing her this morning." Aleu allowed her eyes to shift away from her work for a moment. First to Nagu, then to Wind, then back again, as she resumed grooming his fur. "I'm not even sure how it's possible." She began, pausing for a moment. "When I went to find the herbs, it's like the spirits were there, helping me. A fox named Elandra met me in the woods, and had all the herbs I thought I would need, and then some. She said that a raven told her I would need her help." At the mention of the fox and the raven, Nagu's eyes shot open from their previous relaxed state. "You say a raven?" He began. "It sounds as though Anyu may be watching over you again." Aleu paused again, a question plain on her face. "Nava mentioned Anyu. Who is she exactly." "Now we're getting somewhere!" Nagu thought. He then said aloud, "Anyu is a powerful spirit guide who commonly takes the form of a white wolf, or a jet black raven. Legend has it that she once became mortal and had a litter of pups with a dog, hoping to create a link between our kinds. Nava often communed with her, and sometimes she stayed long enough to share tongues. I don't even know how that's possible though, it's like she's made of smoke, and can disappear at will. I've actually seen her myself a few times, but only when she has something important to say." Aleu was thoughtful of this, knowing full well that her own spirit guide, Muru, could do many of the same things. Aleu let out a very tiny gasp, remembering what her father had told her almost a week ago, that her grandmother was a white wolf, and her grandfather was a dog. Now, she suddenly made a connection, but quickly decided it would be best to keep it to herself, until she had the opportunity to commune with Muru again. However, Nagu heard her tiny gasp, and smiled inwardly, knowing full well that Aleu had just discovered how great her potential actually was.

Once Aleu had finished grooming Nagu's fur, he bade her good night, and went to lay in his bed. Alone again, Aleu lay her head down on her forelegs, contemplating all she had found out. "Is it really true?" She asked herself, "Could my grandmother really be Anyu?" She had to find out for sure;

As the night wore on, Aleu became drowsy from exhaustion, and finally, a light sense of sleep over came her. She began to dream; at first, her dreams were simple, and trivial, such as food, and her memories of playing with her siblings. As she watched many scenes pass before her eyes, she found her self running for her life, though she didn't know what at first. Then, she heard a familiar crowing sound, like that of a raven. She looked back, and saw it, so massive, and dark it seemed to swallow up the moon, and was coming for her next. She ran away from it, but no matter where she turned, the raven seemed to be redirecting her, until she came upon a frozen lake. She stopped out in the middle. She looked to her left, and saw there, in a small shack which resembled her mother's, was her father calling her name softly, as if carried away on the wind. Then, Aleu looked to her left, and saw there her friends Nagu, Gale, and Nuk. She thought she could also see wind in amongst the more blurred wolves in the background. As she watched them, they all tilted their heads back and let out another chorus of howls. As they did so, suddenly the ice beneath her began to crack. It started to form a large crevice which began extending in either direction. Aleu looked desperately to both sides as the cracks approached both groups. Aleu heard the voice of her spirit guide, Muru, saying "Who are you Aleu? Who are you really?" The cracks had almost reached both parties, but not before the raven returned, it's black form filling the sky, and it's thunderous crowing filling her ears. Aleu froze with horror as it quickly rushed toward her blocking out everything else.

Aleu awoke with a start. Panting slightly, she looked around the dark cave frantically. Then, she closed her eyes for a moment, took a breath, and collected herself. "What a dream!" She exclaimed, though quietly, so as to not wake anyone. The night was now fully underway, and the Waxing crescent moon was now high in the sky, visible above the trees from the cave mouth. Aleu decided she needed to take a walk; and so, she carefully, quietly hopped down from her ledge, and carefully crept past the sleeping wolves. Little did she know however, that Nagu had awakened, and was silently watching her walk out of the cave. Her tail and ears clearly showing her anxiety, and so he began to follow her, silently.

She walked and walked, just for the sake of walking, barely notices the forest around her. She eventually comes upon a crystal pond, and pauses to look at the perfectly reflected moon on the pristine water's surface. A moment later, she notices that it is the same pond which she had met Nagu at earlier that day. Aleu pondered this a moment before leaning down to take a drink. As she lapped gently at the cool, satisfying water, she notices the reflection of the moon become distorted, and it quickly is replaced by the rusty orange and white bottom face of Nagu. Aleu takes a moment to realize he must be behind her. She sighs somewhat to herself. "Why are you here Nagu?" She asks him, turning now to face him. However, she quickly realizes that she is still alone. The surprise of this made her fur stand on end. She looked back, and there standing at the water's edge before her was Muru.

"Muru!?" She exclaimed excitedly, "It's good to see you," she said more calmly now, pulling even with him and sitting while he in turn turned to look up at her. She continued, "I'm guessing you know why I was hoping to see you." Now Muru began to speak. "Yes Aleu, I know what troubles you. However, you should know, that the answers you seek are not something which can simply be spoken." Aleu's ears pricked now, clearly showing she was interested. Muru leaned down to touch the water's surface with a single finger. As the water rippled, the moon once again disappeared, and was replaced by an image of her father next to Nagu. "Your main trouble is that you are still unsure of your destiny young one. You wish to do good work and help your new pack succeed; but at the same time," the image shifted now to show a scene from her childhood. Aleu gaped, and her eyes grew wide at what she was being shown. Muru continued, "You also feel torn by your desire to return to your family, and live out your life with them. I don't think I need to remind how impossible it would be to do both." Now Aleu spoke. "No, you don't Muru. I know I can't have both worlds. I want to stay here, and serve my purpose, to find my destiny. But that doesn't make it any easier. If anything it makes it harder." Now Muru climbed unto a tree stump close to Aleu, clearly having been felled by beavers long ago. He laid one of his paws onto her nose comfortingly. Aleu noticed how his touch felt almost cloud like. "Perhaps," He started, "what you truly need is to find your new family right here." As he said this he gestured with his paws to something behind her. She turned her head to see Nagu sitting there, watching. She turned back with a little alarm to Muru, but he had vanished.

Nagu no longer needed any further explanation. He had seen the whole thing, though he had not actually seen Muru. Having been raised by Nava, it was clear to him when a wolf is communing with a spirit, and he knew better than to intervene in such a sacred right.

Still, Nagu thought it would be prudent to speak first, and break the silence. "Aleu... are you alright now?" Aleu knew that he must have seen the whole thing, and acknowledged his attempt to be sensitive by smiling to him, and saying, "Yes Nagu, I think so." They walked back to their cave in silence. Aleu was pondering the meaning of what Muru had said to her; how he suggested that she open herself up more to her friends. They had just came upon the cave mouth, and the moon was still high over head. Aleu had an idea of how she could start with Muru's suggestion. As the two crossed the cave to Aleu's bed, she took her chance. "Nagu?" She said gently, and even a little timidly. Nagu paused from turning away, and looked at Aleu. She continued, "I'm not very used to sleeping on my own. Would you come up with me? At least until I get to sleep." Nagu understanding her meaning, smiled gently, and nodded to her. Together, they leaped up onto the ledge. Nagu lay next to Aleu, their fur brushing now, allowing them to share one another's warmth. Already feeling calmer, and now without even the feeling of embarrassment, she lay her head down onto Nagu's forelegs, and quickly began to get drowsy. Yawning, Nagu lay his head down over her shoulder, and together, they quickly fell fast asleep.


	3. Chapter 3: How to be an Alpha

Aleu was awakened by a lightly jabbing paw on her head, and woke to see the face of Gale. She looked to her side, and saw that Nagu had already left for his hunting patrol. "Excuse me Aleu, but it is morning, and everyone is already up and about. Soon, you'll likely be needed by the pack." "Yes, thank you Gale for waking me." Aleu said, now stretching her sleek body, trying to awaken every muscle. She lets loose a yawn impressive for a an animal her size. "Alright then; What's going on with everyone." Gale now sits at attention, ready to deliver the report from Nuk and Nava. "Nava has already taken out a hunting party to the north my lady; he says that he expects to return around noon to give you lessons. Also, Nuk has arranged a patrol to mark territory to the east, and I also have mine prepared to head west. We await your final order." Aleu took a moment to go over the information. "One moment Gale, why was I allowed to sleep in?" She inquired. An innocent smile crept across Gales face. "Oh, it's just that Nagu asked me to allow you to sleep in Aleu. He said you had a rough night." This answer satisfied Aleu, although she remembered now that she had gone to sleep next to Nagu. She noticed the mildly playful stare which Gale giving her, and immediately felt her face and ears start to burn again. Aleu quickly averted her eyes from Gale. Gale, upon seeing this leans over to view Aleu's eyes, and gently comforts her saying, "Hey; there is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. Nagu is a good friend." The hot feeling quickly dissipated with Gale's encouragement, and she finally dismissed her, asking her to pass on her thanks to Nuk.

As Gale walked off to tend to her mission, Aleu looked around the cave, noticing how the morning sun was now streaming in through the large cave mouth, illuminating everything within. All of the remaining wolves were mostly elders, as the more agile young wolves had been chosen for the hunt. Of course, there were a few remaining, to help with guarding the cave, and tending to any issues which the elders, who were still a little weak from the journey, had. As Aleu watched she noticed the creme colored wolf Whispering-wind tending to the elders. Aleu watched the little she wolf as she spoke to a gray haired wolf with white paw tips. Aleu remembered his name to be Jaron. Jaron was limping slightly on one hind paw, and as she watched, Whispering-Wind sniffed the wolf foot, and prodded it carefully with her own paw. She then said something to the old wolf, though Aleu couldn't quite make it out through the combination of all the sounds which were echoing through the cave. Jaron seemed to nod his thanks to the young she wolf, then walked of. Aleu, seeing this as her chance decided to approach the little wolf.

"Good morning Whispering-Wind." Aleu greeted the gold streaked youngling. Slightly surprised at hearing her alpha, Wind's ears twitched in Aleu's direction, before she knelt before her leader. "Oh, g...good morning Mistress. How did you sleep?" stammered Wind, making to bow in submissive respect, as is required of an Omega. Aleu, who was still a little unused to such respect, was a little taken aback. Whispering-Wind was clearly in awestruck respect for Aleu for having saved her life. Aleu couldn't stand to talk to the beautiful little wolf while she was practically prostrate before her however, so she said to Wind, "Thank you for honoring me Wind, but I'd rather speak to you when you look at me." "Oh no! I, I'm sorry!" the little wolf exclaimed now standing, though still not looking Aleu in the eyes. Aleu recognized that this behavior was to avoid making a challenge to her leader. Nagu had spoken of it briefly the other day while they were still at sea. Aleu thought of a way to get her a little more open, and she crept closer to the young wolf, and tried to move around to where she could see her face, attempting to coax Wind to be a little less afraid of her, saying with a small smile, "I slept well thanks. I was just assessing the pack, and I noticed that you were helping out some of the elders."

Now Whispering-Wind's ears pricked, and she felt emboldened enough to look at Aleu. She began timidly, "Yes, alphess. After what you did for me all I ever want to do again is be equally helpful to all the wolves of this pack. I noticed some of the aliments some of them were complaining about, so I used advice my mother taught me to try to help." Now she smiled with pride in herself, saying, "Also, I've picked up some of the advice that the elders themselves know about ailments, and treatments. I hope to someday be a healer." Now Whispering-Wind bowed before Aleu again, though this time not as low, showing respect more than fear. "Because of you my lady, I want to do more for my pack, and I think this may be my calling." Aleu felt slightly amused at her sudden amused at Wind's enthusiasm. "Well in that case, maybe we can help each other Whi... may I call you Whisper?" Whispering wind snorted with slight amusement now. "Yes mistress. All my friends also call me Wind, or Whisper." This surprised Aleu somewhat. There wasn't more than thirty wolves in her pack, and Whisper seemed too quiet to have befriended any of them closely. However, Aleu did not push the subject. It wasn't important at the moment.

She continued, "Well then, I have a friend fox on this island who may be able to teach us both a thing or two." Whisper's ears perked up at this. "She a spirit walker, meaning she's often busy do work for the spirits, but she has already helped me twice. She told me that she lives in this area, so if we find her, maybe we could arrange for her to give you some lessons in medicine." "A fox mistress?" The young she wolf questioned. "Yes, I know it sounds strange, but don't be surprised. I was led here by a raven if you remember." Aleu added humorously. They both giggled a little at this. "One more thing Whisper." She started again, looking around at the assembled elderly wolves. "How are all the sick and elders doing so far?" Whisper noticed that Aleu was passing her the responsibility of medical care almost officially. Her ears pricked with happiness at her new responsibility. She began, a little too enthusiastically, "Well, the five eldest wolves in the pack seems to be getting over anything from aching joints to the common cold." She began, motioning toward one cave wall where five old wolves with gray areas of fur that were starting to show. "Our oldest wolf Aga told me about the properties of turmeric and ginger for joint pain and stopping the feeling of sniffles. They've all responded quite well." Aleu took note of this. She knew ginger and turmeric roots were useful, but she had no idea they were good for joint pain. Whisper continued. "Also, Aningan over there has some mild frost bite on one of his paws. My mother told me that horsetail weed makes a useful treatment, but he'll have to stay off of his foot for two days at least."

Now she looked back to Aleu. "You're not feeling sick are you?" "Hm? Oh no, I'm perfectly fine. I had trouble sleeping last night, but Nagu helped me with that." At first Aleu said this without thinking, but now the familiar burn of embarrassment came back to her in full force, making her ears pull flat, and her cheeks turn red beneath her fur. Quickly, Aleu tried to hide her feelings by forcing her ears to act normally again, though not before Whisper caught her display of emotion. "Are you alright mistress?" Whisper ventured. Aleu hastily averted further questions by responding, "Oh yes, yes, I'm fine just fine. Umm, good work Whisper. I, uh, I'll talk to you later." With that Aleu walked away, quietly chastising herself for once again letting her emotions get the best of her, leaving Whispering-Wind wondering at the sudden change in her leader's countenance.

Now Aleu was walking through the forest, hoping that she wouldn't run into any of her pack at the moment, as she just wanted some time to think. What was with her lately? She continually found herself thinking about Nagu. He was so kind, and very wise for his age. He was also an excellent adviser. Heck, if he were Alpha, he'd be able to lead the pack singlehandedly.

These thoughts kept racing through Aleu's mind distracting her from what she was doing. She didn't even know where she was going. Then out of nowhere, SMACK! Aleu walked headlong into a tree, sending a bolt a pain up her snout, making her eyes water. Stifling a cry of pain, she rubbed her nose to see if it was bleeding. "Good." She thought, "at least I don't have to worry about that kind of blunder showing for all to see." She looked around, and found herself at the top of a ridge she hadn't seen before. She crept closer to the edge, and looked down. There, in gully below, was the hunting patrol. This was her chance to watch Nagu at work, and maybe pick up a tip or two. Aleu lay down there in the shade of the tree she had just walked into, watching the hunting party as they stalked a small group of four caribou. There were three adults, one being a mother, and her baby.

Aleu looked on from her vantage point, as Nagu whispered orders to his subordinates. She watched more intently now as the wolves crept around the herd to the other end of the gully, opposite Nagu. Aleu picked up on their strategy. If they tried to push the caribou toward Nagu and two others, the caribou would have no choice but to run by them, like a funnel. Aleu knew that they wouldn't likely succeed in catching all of the caribou, rather they'd have to focus on a just one or two, as they were much bigger than the wolves. She decided she would try to get in on the action, though she wasn't naive enough to assume she could join their hunt without interrupting, so she noticed a series of ledges she could climb down on, and hopefully snag a caribou as it passed her, after escaping Nagu's team. Quickly, she hopped down from one ledge, to the next, carefully calculating the best landing to minimize the dangers of slipping, or making too much noise.

She was almost half way down now, and she glanced back to see that three of the six wolves in Nagu's party were almost in position. She tried to quicken her pace.

Now, Aleu was on the ground. She glanced behind her, and noticed how she couldn't see the wolves, since they were so well concealed by the tall grass. She imitated their method and found she could easily crouch low enough to conceal her red tinted brownish fur. She quickly crept to the middle of the gully now, just in time to hear the terrified mewling of the caribou as the chase began. She readied herself, knowing it was only a matter of time before the caribou came her way.

About ten seconds had passed, and then she saw it; The young calf and it's mother were fast approaching her. She knew she would only have one chance. Aleu bunched her legs, ready to pounce. Within moments, the calf was in range, and Aleu calculated where it would be by the time she landed, and jumped to that location, snarling viciously, and baring her fangs. The calf was caught completely off guard, and attempted to alter it's course, but it was too late. Before either of the two of them knew it, Aleu had bitten down around the babe's throat, and Aleu noted that it hadn't even slowed, and was almost twice her size. Without taking anymore time to think, Aleu bit down as hard as she could, resulting in a satisfying crunch as her teeth crushed flesh and bone. She was surprised that it was so easy for her to crush the animal with her jaw. She tasted the poor animal's blood pooling around her teeth, and heard the calf try to scream for help. "Wait a moment. That can't be right. I didn't know they could talk!" Aleu released the quickly dying animal, and noted that it was a young male. She looked into it's eyes, and saw a great fear, as though it knew it was going to die. The calf was able to make out a single word, though spitting blood as it did so. "Why?" he asked Aleu. She stared in horror at her deed, and all she could think to say was, "I, I'm sorry!" As she did so, she shut her eyes, and turned away, as the young deer let out it's final breath. Aleu looked back and saw the final traces of life vanish from his eyes. Aleu realized she had been holding her breath. In an almost exasperated sigh, she released it, and took a new breath. "Was this your first kill Aleu?" Aleu jumped as she recognized Nagu's voice. Aleu looked back at Nagu, then back to the calf, and replied, "Yes. Yes this was the first time I've ever killed." Nagu looked down to to the baby deer laying at their paws. "On my first time I also took the life of a calf, a little older than this one." He looked back up at Aleu. She had a small stain of blood on her chest from the calf. "It helps to remember that this is what we have to do to survive." He said, trying to comfort her. He knew full well that a wolf's first kill was sometimes a terrible experience. "But, for the record... you did very well for your first time." Little did he know however, that Aleu even had the ability to speak to animals like the caribou. This would turn out to make it much more difficult for Aleu to continue taking part in hunts, and she knew it, though she did not hint at it yet. She still assumed that all the wolves could understand the caribou. Regardless, Aleu knew he was right, and nudged his neck with her cheek; "Thanks Nagu. I needed that." Said Aleu, smiling lightly at Nagu.

After having actually killed the calf herself, Aleu found it difficult to stomach the thought of eating it at first. She had to force herself to tear off a piece of flesh, and swallow it. Having Nagu there to make sure she could handle it helped. As she downed her first mouth full of the still warm venison, her stomach rumbled for more. Aleu realized that she was actually really hungry, as she hadn't eaten since noon the day before. Aleu found the flavor quite substantial, and forced herself to continue eating. With each each bite, she found it a little easier to swallow. By now, Nava was also sharing the calf with her. When they had both eaten their fill, their was still much left. They each tore off a large piece of meat to carry back, and carefully buried the remaining meat, so to minimize the exposure to the air, and the insects. Nagu glanced back, and saw that the rest of his hunting party had also finished, and were doing the same with the mother of the calf which they had taken down.

Nagu gave Aleu a look that said she should give an order, so Aleu set down the leg she was carrying, and howled with all the sense of authority she could muster. The others immediately took notice, and howled back their response, indicating they were listening. Aleu made a motion to follow her, and the wolves all got the message. Together, Aleu, and Nagu's hunting party headed back to the caves with what they could carry, in order to bring food back for the elders, and show the border scouts where to find the remaining meat.

When they arrived back, Aleu was the first to head in through the opening in the cave, where she almost bumped into Night-shade, and three of her closest friends, who Aleu still had yet to get to know. "Oh!, excuse me Night-shade." Aleu mumbled through the meat she still carried. "Watch where your going half breed!", was Night-shade's only response before quickly running by, before either Aleu or Nagu had the chance to say anything, though Nagu let loose a low throaty growl before she was out of ear shot, though if she heard, she didn't stop to show it. "This isn't turning out too well." Nagu thought to himself. He and Aleu thought they even heard one of Night-shade's companions poke a jide at Aleu saying, "What do bet she didn't even help catch any of that meat." which was followed by fading giggles, though Aleu couldn't help feel they sounded more like cackles. Knowing full well that to confront her would mean she'd have to fight, Aleu decided to let it go. After all, it was hardly the first time she'd been mocked for her heritage.

Once inside the cave, Aleu was greeted by Gale and Whisper who promptly helped distribute the meal amongst the elders. It looked as though they had managed to bring back just enough. Once all the elders had been fed, Aleu assigned one of Nagu's party members to escort Gale and her team to where the remaining meat was buried. Aleu also felt something growing inside her, like a feeling of pride. She knew it was because she was already learning to become a great leader, with the help of her friends. In fact, Aleu felt bold enough now, that she wished to take skip her introductory lessons all together, and get Nagu and Gale to start teaching her how to hunt, and fight. However, Aleu knew she could not simply ignore the fact that every animal she would go on to hunt would probably be able to beg for it's life, and she knew her disposition would make her vulnerable to them doing so. Nonetheless, she had work to do.

"Nagu, ya have a minute?" she asked the rust colored beta. He turned from talking to some of the wolves who were on his hunting party earlier. "Of course Aleu. For you, anything." he said honestly with a light bow of his head. The others went on the way. "I think I'm ready to begin training with hunting and fighting." He looked just a little bit surprised, but then looked thoughtful, remembering how Aleu had successfully hunted in his party earlier without him even knowing she was there. "The qualities of a truly efficient hunter..." he thought to himself. Now he answered her aloud. "Alright Aleu. I have the perfect place in mind. If you could meet me by the pond in about twenty minutes, I just have to arrange the next hunting party." "Already!?" Aleu was confused. How could they eat so much? Now, Nagu actually laughed aloud at her exclamation. "Not a large hunt Aleu. No, it's just that it's a good idea to keep our diet a little varied is all. They will be searching for any kind of small animals they can bring back to the elders, since Whisper thinks some of them are still too weak to hunt on their own." As he said this, he glanced over his shoulder to where Whisper was tending to Aga, the elder. "Well in that case, keep up the good work Nagu. Is Gale also currently busy?" He responded, "Yes, she and Nuk have gone to take some food for themselves, and their patrols. I expect they'll try to arrange additional patrols when they've rested for a time." Aleu nodded her thanks, and dismisses Nagu. She turned to leave the cave, and noticed Night-shade and her followers entering. They stopped talking, and pointedly shunned Aleu as they passed. As the alpha, she knew she could have challenged her for her disrespect, but Aleu knew it wouldn't be right. Also, she was confident that she could take Night-shade in a fight just yet. Growling ever so slightly to herself, Aleu left the cave, and headed for the pond.

On the way to the pond, Aleu was caught up in her thoughts again. This time, however, she was preoccupied with the memory of the tragedy on the ice, and the looks on Night-shade's and Marigold's faces. She already knew that none of it was really her fault, but she couldn't help but feel responsible. She had even been the Alpha then, so she felt responsible. She couldn't stop thinking, "was there a way she could have stopped it from happening?"

Aleu reached the pond, the mostly secret meeting place she and Nagu had found. Once again, Aleu had found herself mesmerized by the beauty of the scenery. In the light of late afternoon, Aleu felt a certain calmness, and serenity there. At this moment, Aleu had the opportunity to more carefully observe the scene. The _pond_ was actually more of a small, round lake, about two hundred meters across. The forest came almost up to the beach line around the lake, leaving a small track of light, sandy soil along the waters edge, running the entire outer edge of the water. The water was almost crystal clear, and the cloudless sky above was a beautiful ocean blue. Aleu noted that some of the areas along the interface between the sand, and the forest limits would probably make an excellent place for a small den. She caught herself. "Den!? Where did that come from! A den for What!" She shook her head half angerly, and half in shame. "What the heck is wrong with me?" She couldn't possibly start thinking about that. It was far too early; she had just recently become the Alpha, and still had much to do.

Just then, Aleu heard a twig snap. Her fur stood on end a she sat there. Then, she let it relax realizing it must just be Nagu. It had been almost fifteen minutes, after all. She turned expecting to see him. The forest, however, was empty. Now, Aleu was a little weary, as she scanned the tree line near where the noise had come from. She saw nothing, heard nothing. Then she closed her eyes, and opened her senses, as before, allowing the information to flood over her. Then she felt it. Someone watching her, a small, light weight animal creeping up in front of her. It was... a fox? Her eyes opened to see there in front of her, lapping from the lake, was Elandra.

Aleu was surprised to see Elandra again, and so soon too. "Uh, hello Elandra? " She began uncertain, while Elandra finished drinking from the lake. "I'm going to assume you have something important to say?" She pressed, hoping that Elandra would say the same. "Actually yes, Young one." The fox began in her cool voice. "I have been watching your progress. So have the spirits." This got Aleu very interested. "Really?" Elandra continued, "Oh yes Aleu. They are very anxious to see you succeed, especially Muru." Now Elandra turned to face Aleu, but then only sat down, and began passively grooming herself, displaying her fox like attitude of being aloof. Aleu's eyes grew wide, as she was once again reminded that Elandra could commune at will with the spirit guides. "However, they tell me you are feeling, hmm... hesitant about taking essential hunting lessons, and that you have not even tried to contact them yet."

Now Aleu was so interested, that she knelt down to eye level with the lupine. "Contact them! If I knew how to do that, I would talk to them about everything." Elandra found this slightly amusing. "You act as if your surprised. You already know that I can commune with them. And yet here you are, the granddaughter of the great Anyu herself. You have it within you to do these thing, even easier than I myself can child." Now, Aleu was puzzled, and didn't try to hide it. "Let me show you." She motioned for Aleu to follow. As they approached the waters edge, Aleu could see the moon's reflection, as it was starting to rise, as the sun was starting to set. "For someone with your talents child, it should be simple. Look into the calm water." Aleu did as she said. "Now concentrate. I saw what you did when I arrived here. You were sensing the forest, concentrating on nothing, and everything. Do that again, but concentrate on finding the answer to a burning question in your soul." Aleu focused harder, drowning out all the noises, including the sense that Elandra was by her side. She chose her question, trying hard to imagine someone telling her something, anything of use. She watched as the faded reflection of the moon changed, and revealed the face of Night-shade. Aleu was surprised, but let it continue to flow through to her. As she watch, Night-shade burst into a ball of fire which quickly consumed everything in her vision, and seemed to come up out of the water, reaching for her!

She gasped and jumped away from the water edge, blinking away the feeling of dry eye. Panting lightly, she looked over to Elandra, who was once again grooming her fur. Now this irritated Aleu ever so slightly, but she dismissed it for it wasn't important. Still shivering a bit, she took one good breath to calm herself, then addressed the fox. "Thank you for telling me about this Elandra. I'm sure this skill will come become useful." "Oh dear child; it is indeed." With that, Elandra got up and walked away, leaving Aleu wondering about the mysterious creature. The fox paused a moment, though without looking back, to say, "and don't worry about the lessons for your healer, Whispering-Wind. She and I have already gotten to know one another." With that, the fox disappeared into the trees, leaving a look of shock on Aleu's face, though mostly she was concerned about the vision of Night-shade she'd seen.

A few moments later, Nagu arrived at the lake, and promptly greeted Aleu. After what just happened, Aleu was glad for his company, and she ran to meet him. Upon reaching Nagu, Aleu couldn't help but rub against his neck and shoulder. Of course Nagu was taken aback by her sudden affections. "Whoa, whoa, whoa Aleu! Hold on a second!" He asserted. Aleu now realizing how she had just done something insanely forward. Pulled back from Nagu. "Oh my goodness, I... I'm so sorry Nagu." She said quickly recovering herself, and sitting down to stop her tail from quivering with fear, though it was more difficult to hide that her voice had also started shaking, and her ears were flat. She looked away in shame. Nagu, seeing this, quickly pushed for her to tell what was wrong. "I, uh... it's just..." She tried.

Then, Aleu decided to simply fess up. "Oh Nagu! I've started having visions, and being visited by spirits! They keep trying to tell me things, and it sounds important, but it's like a riddle. I... I'm not sure to do about them." Now Aleu looked Nagu in the eyes, tears beginning to well up. Nagu, having seen Nava after communing with spirits knew what she meant. He tried to comfort her. "Hey, hey now. There's nothing to be seriously worried about Aleu." He now moved closer to her, and sat down close enough that their fur was brushing together. "If the spirits tell you about something bad, it's usually because they think you can get through it with their help."Aleu rested her head on his shoulder, and began sobbing. "I had a vision about marigold again!" She continued sobbing, now pushing her face into the side of his neck, his thick fur muffling her cries, and absorbing her tears. "It's all my fault. I was their leader, and I let her down! I let Night-shade down." She pulled out from Nagu's fur, now a little stronger. She sniffed one last time. "She wants to take vengeance on me." She took a moment to snort at herself. "I don't even blame her." Nagu was about to say something to Aleu, but she beat him to it. "If I am to remain the alpha of this pack, I need to get stronger!" She now stood, with a new sense of resolution. "I need to learn to fight for my pack!" Her confidence was contagious. Nagu also stood, and said, "Then lets not waste time! Come on Aleu, show me what you've got!"

The next few days were a bitter schedule of hunting, combat training, Lessons on tradition, and Alpha etiquette. Aleu practiced hunting and fighting every spare moment. She was very determined to earn her way to being recognized as the Alpha. She trained both her body and her mind. Every morning, Gale, Nagu, and Nuk took turns taking her out for combat training in the morning, and border patrol at noon. Nagu would train her to hunt small game for herself, as it was much safer than hunting caribou. As the week wore on, she could feel herself growing. Her body became more lithe, and her muscles grew to rippling under her fur. She could outrun Gale, outsmart Nuk (his fighting style relied on brute strength due to his size), and she even learned a few tips on contacting her spirit guide, Muru, from Nagu, who often spoke with his own guide.

Aleu was rapidly becoming the alpha she needed to be. She was learning so fast, in fact, that the other wolves took notice. Very quickly, most of the wolves in her pack came to respect her much more than before, with the only real exception being Night-shade. Once again, Nagu, and Gale found themselves intrigued by Aleu's abilities, which they attributed to her heritage as the granddaughter of Anyu.

A week later, Aleu was now taking on almost every major duty meant to be taken on by the alpha. When there was a fight, she made sure it broke up, and stayed broken up. Every night, she made sure to talk to Muru by the moonlight. Not for any special reason, other than just getting to talk. At one point, Nagu during the night to find Aleu at the mouth of the cave. The moon had grown to its full size, and Aleu sat there speaking quietly with a fox, a raven, and a field mouse, who he guessed must have been Muru. When questioned, Aleu simply stated that she invited them to come watch the moon with her because she was lonely. That was the first night that she had once again tried sleeping on her own. Now Nagu found it funny that he was the one starting to feel just a tiny twinge of loneliness. He didn't let it interfere with his duties as Aleu's number two wolf however.

Eventually Aleu had reached a point where she had almost learned all the basics there were to know about being the alpha. On that night, it was the night before she would finally prove to herself that she could truly be a proper Alpha. The coming morning, she would lead her own hunt for the very first time. It was a big deal for the entire pack, as the herds had started staying away from there area, and caribou hunts therefore only happened every four days now. The big issue which Aleu felt was not in her abilities, for she had bested all three of her Betas now. Rather, she was terrified at the thought of having to take the life of such a beautiful creature as a caribou. As she sat by the lake under the waning crescent moon, she reasoned with herself, "With a rabbit, or a mouse, it's a quick kill. One bite, and it's over. With a caribou though, they can go so far as to beg for their lives." She thought to herself, "It isn't right that I have to be able to listen to their pleas while I drain their very life from them." Just the very thought made her feel slightly sick to the stomach.

"You are over thinking your predicament again Aleu." She recognized the voice of her spirit guide Muru. She lay down to be closer to eye level with the field mouse. "I know that it's necessary, but it still doesn't feel right." Muru simply watched Aleu, so she went on. "I feel like it makes me a hypocrite. Who am I to say whether they should live or die?" Now Muru spoke up. "Rest assured Aleu, for every being large and small has it's time. When you take the life of another, purely so your own can continue, it is nothing more than the circle of life. It would be there time, but not your own. Your time will come too Aleu." Her ears pricked at the suggestion. "Muru?... do you know when it is time for a life to end?" He simply smiled at her and replied, "I can merely say this much Aleu. You will not be the first, nor the last life I pluck from this world at the end of their time." This surprisingly reassured Aleu somewhat. Now she asked, "Is there someway I can feel better about myself? When I killed that calf, I saw the terror in his eyes. I heard him scream for his mother." Once again, a pit seemed to form in Aleu's stomach, and the tears collected at the corners of her eyes. "You have a wonderful gift Aleu. You can commune with spirits and animals alike. Use your gift. When you take the life of another for the sake of your pack, just be there for them. Talk to her, or reassure him." Muru actually seemed a little sad himself now. "I will be with you in the hunt tomorrow Aleu. If you'd like, I can help you on your first time. I will teach you the things rightful to say, when the time comes."

It was a week and three days since Aleu's training had first began. She had absorbed every bit of information from her teachers, and had trained her body almost to the breaking point at least once, before laying off just long enough to recover. Now, it was her turn to lead a Caribou hunt. Backing her were Nuk and Gale. Nagu had been assigned to border patrols. Nagu had actually found the heard of seven they now stalked, and reported it to Nuk. Now, they were here, approaching the heard cautiously. It wouldn't be an easy hunt. This was a wide open field with only the grass as their coverage. Aleu had four wolves in her party, and Nuk had two, and Gale three. Together, they would coordinate a pincer approach. "Psst. Gale!" She whispered. "You take the left flank, Nuk your to the right. Drive them to us from the sides, and behind!" They nodded their affirmation, and moved out, leaving Aleu with her four wolves, including the elder Aga. "Aga, take tulip to the left forward, Maple you and Jaron take right. I'll check center!" They quickly carried out her order, and took up their positions, ready to intercept the stampede. Aleu watched left, then right, and when she saw their signal, she braced herself. This would be one of her final tests. Then, it began.

Gale and Nuk began the attack on the caribous flanks, while the others held their positions. The caribou started to scatter, but the two flanking team were prepared. Already, Gale, and her team had pinned one male caribou. As she watched, the familiar itching pain that she knew these animals could talk if they wanted tarted to return to her, however she knew from hunting rabbits that this was a necessary evil; and so she prepared herself. The herd began running in the direction of her team, and she had her sights on one adolescent female. She calculated when she ought to pounce. "Three seconds." She counted, now feeling her heart rate skyrocket. "Two seconds!" The massive animal was almost upon her. "One second!" Now she calmed herself, waiting for the perfect moment. "Almost there... NOW!" As she howled, she pounced toward the large animal. As Aleu's snarling jaws approached the deer's exposed throat, time seemed to slow, as Aleu saw the look of terror that had appeared on the caribou's face. It was a look that was almost pleading. Aleu dropped her guard for a single instant, and missed her mark. Instead of clamping down on the female deer's throat, she gripped her shoulder. Aleu now knew that this was an extremely dangerous situation which she had to finish as quickly as possible. And so she used her claws and jaws to work up to the caribou's neck, and bit down hard. At first her teeth hit bone, but missed their mark. The Caribou was starting to try to buck her off now. Aleu didn't have anymore time. She took one last bite into the neck of the caribou. She heard a crack, and it was over. She had broken the caribou's neck.

The caribou stumbled, then fell head long, sending Aleu flying several meters. She landed with a thud. At first everything was blurry as she tried to get up, as she had hit her head on the soft ground. With a grunt, she pulled herself to her feet, and stood for a moment, wavering, waiting for the air to come back into her lungs. After a moment, she had regained her disposition, and went over to see her kill... only it, no she, wasn't dead; at least not yet.

Aleu approached the dying caribou carefully, not certain if she might still be able to kick. She was panting, heaving really. Aleu watched with a sickening sadness as the blood oozed from the injuries she had inflicted. She looked the dying deer in the eyes, and saw not terror, but sadness. Aleu sat down near the animal, and said, "I'm so sorry this happened to you. I... I wish we didn't have to kill." The deer looked back at Aleu now, though only her eyes could move properly. "You..." 'pant', "Your not like the others." Aleu looked back to the animal. As if she were being told what to say from within her own soul, she began, "I am Aleu. My pack needs your sacrifice to go on living. I'm afraid fate just decided it was your time, and not ours. I am sorry that it has come to this." Aleu had to shut her eyes for a moment to force back her tears. She sniffed, and asked, "What is you name." The deer was breathing faster shallower breaths now. Aleu noticed off to the side that her entire formation was watching her awestruck. "I..." 'pant', 'pant', "I am Venra." Now Venra was coughing up blood. Aleu crept close to her Venra's face and whispered to her, "Go in peace Venra. My spirit guide Muru is here even now to take you away, to a place where there is no more pain." They both glanced over to in front of Venra's snout, and there was Muru. He had become visible only to the two of them. He nodded his approval to Aleu, and placed his tiny paw onto Venra's nose. Aleu said a final goodbye, and thanked Venra again, and Muru stated, "Come now Venra. It's time to go." Then, Venra replied, "Alright. I am ready." With that, Venra closed her eyes, and released her final breath. A shimmery glow only visible to Aleu seemed to surround the body that was once Venra. From the aura emanate a cloud, which Muru imitated in form. Together, they conjoined, and vanished.

Aleu sat there for several long moments. She could feel the stares of her followers boring into her with intense curiosity. Nuk was the first to speak. "Mistress; are you alright? Why are you talking to that dumb animal?" Aleu felt an explosive rage instantly erupt from her soul. She turned to stare down Nuk with a burning look in her icy, ocean blue husky eyes. Nuk immediately realized he had done wrong and began cowering even as Aleu approached growling with a power that the others had not seen even in Nava. With a snarling anger forcing pauses between each word she spat, "YOU DO NOT INSULT THAT ANIMAL! She was a living being with a soul, not a dumb animal!" She was now above Nuk now, staring down as he cowered in submission to her authority. He stammered, desperate to apologize, though he was still confused. "I... I, uh, I'm vary sorry mistress! I, didn't know that!" Now Aleu had simmered down enough to think straight. She looked down to the prostrate Nuk, then around to her other followers who had given her a _very_ wide berth. She took a deep breath, held it, then let it go, her anger leaving with it. Nuk wasn't known for thinking, or for being smooth. He really didn't know anything about what she knew, and she was also a little touchy after the emotional bombardment she had just received. She sighed, then backed up enough for Nuk to stand, though he remained where he was, terrified. She said to Nuk gently now, "In that case Nuk, I forgive you." She turned to address the others. "All you who are assembled, let this be known. Hence forth, all prey is to be treated with respect, as if it were a fellow wolf. It is not necessary for you to 'talk' to them as I do." She paused for a moment to let her message sink in more. Then, she continued,

"However, do not be fooled into thinking that simply because you cannot understand them it means they cannot talk. They have a soul within them, just the same as you or I. I have seen it, and though I will not hesitate to hunt for the sake of my pack, It is something I feel great sadness about."

She decided to wrap up her monologue by addressing the question they were all asking. "What I was doing talking with her, was simply comforting her as she passed into the void. I'm sure all of you would rather have the opportunity to say goodbye. I simply wanted to provide that girl with that same right." Gale spoke up now, albeit much more cautiously. "Aleu? Can you speak with these animals?" All eyes focused upon Aleu once again. After a moment of hesitation, she replied to Gale. "Yes Gale; I do not deny it. I am able to commune with the spirits and animals just as Nava before me." All who were present could only gasp.


	4. Chpt 4: Love is Given, Respect is Earned

Back at the cave, trouble was brewing. Night-shade had been paying attention to Aleu's training, and was beginning to get jealous. An alpha should have to rise to power, not be handed it! She had been discussing her rise to power with her supporters. Night-shade was seeking to climb to the rank of beta, and then immediately challenge Aleu, believing now was her last chance for the power she believed she deserved.

Not everyone believed she was in the right however, as it was becoming apparent within the pack that most of the wolves supported Aleu for her knowledge-ability and friendship. Since they had arrived, Aleu had, in two short weeks, managed to secure a large territory with enough food for generations, fight off two bears, and all without any prior training! She was as kind as Nava, and was growing stronger than Niju ever was. In addition, she had even taken in two rogues, and their single surviving puppy, Amaqjuaq, or strong one in their native tongue. She was growing to become a truly successful leader.

Night-shade also realized this, however, her drive for avenging her sister and for power has made her completely blind. 'Today, once Aleu returned from her hunt, Night-shade would challenge one of her betas, and _KILL_ Aleu immediately after. She would have the power and respect she deserved!'

After the incident during the hunt, Aleu felt as though a weight had been lifted from her. She was longer terrified of hunting prey so her pack could live. Not only that, but the secret that she could speak with animals of other kinds, and commune with spirits had been let out of the bag. Her entire hunting party knew, and yet, she didn't care. She had decided that her powers were like her destiny. They were great, and should be embraced, not avoided.

Aleu had long since sent Gale back to report the kills. It was no longer necessary to carry food back for the elders. They were more than able to retrieve their share of the carcass themselves. As such, Aleu now walked alone on her way back to the den. She was currently exhuasted, mostly psychologically, and cared for little more than the thought of returning to her soft, safe bed of cedar boughs, which Nagu had always ensured were fresh, just for her. He was so sweet a wolf. Aleu often found herself thinking about him in distracted ways these days. Not long ago, she had been in the middle of a conversation with Whisper. It was something inconsequential, but she still held her friend's comments as valuable. However, Aleu noticed Nagu come into the cave that day, and she just lost all of her concentration on Whisper in a single moment. She had felt sorry when Whisper had to snap her back to reality. She just giggled at Aleu's lapse of attention, and decided to go on her way.

Now, Aleu found herself lapsing in her attention yet again, but she needn't go so far, as Nagu jumped forth from the tree line she was following to join her. The surprise of seeing Nagu suddenly when she was just thinking about him made her face and ears hot all over. However, she had learned not to bother hiding her emotions, as it only distracts oneself, and often makes it more obvious. Thus, she ignored her emotions and greeted Nagu. "Hey there Nagu. Thanks for walking with me." She quickly said to him. He responded in kind. "Hello to you too Aleu. I heard about the success on your hunt! Congratulations!" Aleu knew he knew her secrets by now. In fact, Nagu had known for a while. Thus, she said, "Thanks for your support Nagu, but you can drop the act." Nagu was slightly shocked to hear her rebuke, but wasn't surprised to hear what came next. "You know perfectly well that for me, killing another animal is like killing someone I know. It's as close as I hope I ever have to get to murder." She was looking down at her feet while they walked, until now. She looked up, and felt sorry for laying it on Nagu so hard. He was only ever helping and supporting her. She felt a pang of sympathy for him, and even a feeling of longing. She still felt hollow, some how, like she had lost a part of herself on that first big hunt. She didn't mean to recall the memory of Marigold, but she couldn't help but relate this feeling of sorrow with that first incident of death on her watch.

Aleu wished she hadn't rebuked Nagu so harshly. "I'm sorry." She apologized before he could say anything. "The hunt may have been successful, but it was so painful. It was worse than my first blood. Muru says I probably won't have as much remorse again, but I think it would be good to keep just a little bit. Thanks though, for being there for me Nagu." As Aleu finished, she rubbed her cheek against his neck fur, and gave him a single affectionate lick on the cheek. He paused, almost dumbstruck. Aleu couldn't help but let out a small giggle. She continued toward home. After a moment, Nagu regained his composure, and pulled even with Aleu.

Suddenly, a nearby bush shook as an animal was passing through it, making it's way out into the open. "Who's there?" Aleu growled, baring her teeth, her ears lying flat. The cynical laugh of a lunatic was her answer. It was Night-shade.

"Night-shade? What are you do in that bush?" Aleu questioned innocently. Now it was Night-shade's turn to growl. "It's time I took my rightful place half breed!" Aleu's ears, which were back to normal once again lay flat on her head. "How dare you!" Aleu started. Nagu finished for her, saying, "Where is your respect Night-shade? Who do you think you are!?" Night-shade responded with enough venom to make them both flinch, saying, "I am going to defeat you Nagu! First I'll take your place, and then I rip the little twit's throat out!"

At this, Night-shade pounced upon Nagu. However, he was prepared for her move. As she landed upon him, he rolled over using their combined weight, and knocked her head against a rock. Night-shade roared in pain, and let go, only to jump back to her paws. Nagu, who was already standing, prepared to make his own move. He first shouted to Aleu, "Stay back Aleu! This is her right, and now I'll finish what she started!" Aleu started to protest, begging him to stop, in fear that he may not win; But it was useless. Night-shade had started her duel with Nagu, and there could only be a victor. The battle raged on, while Aleu watched horrified. It was not long before other wolves heard the kerfuffle, and came by to see what was happening.

The fighting was viscous. Both were nearly equal in skill. Night-shade managed to land a bite on Nagu's scruff, and attempted to throw him into a tree. Nagu was all too skilled for such an old trick. He threw of Night-shade's throw by running with it. He ran up to the tree as she released him, and he used his momentum to climb the trunk almost two meters. Everyone was astonished including Night-shade. Before the dark colored wolf could respond, Nagu sprung with all the force in his legs from his vantage point. He shot forth, colliding into the she wolf with his legs first, and kicked her with enough force that his own motion ceased. He landed softly, while she was catapulted into a tree. Aleu heard a sickening 'crunch!', and knew it was over for Night-shade. Nagu drew closer to the she wolf, to finish the fight; however, Aleu knew the rules of engagement well enough that she stepped between them.

"Enough Nagu!" She growled low at him. "She's had enough!" The fire which had been burning in Nagu's eyes was quickly extinguished by her own icy glare. He nodded, and pulled back, waiting for her to make the next move. She moved to examine the injured wolf, and saw that she had a single swollen shoulder. She guessed it must have been cracked by the impact against the tree.

She addressed the injured she wolf, standing over her. "Night-shade, why have you done this? Have I not been a fair enough leader to you? To all of the clan?" Night-shade, though submissive in her position, still had enough fire within her to look up to Aleu, and say, "You'll never be my alpha, you dog! You are nothing without your betas!" She spat at Aleu, but Aleu did not flinch. "Without them, you are nothing! Your not fit to be Alpha!" Aleu had one thing to say. "That's where you're wrong Night-shade. It's because of my Betas, my friends, that I have accomplished so much. Together we are strong, because we are together. We all play our part, and so we are all part of the machine that is this pack." Night-shade only looked away. Aleu could see she could not sway Night-shade. She made her decision. "Very well then Night-shade. If you will not accept me as your Alpha, then you are hereby banished from our territory. I will grant you one night of sanctuary so you can eat, and heal, but you must be off our territory by sun-high. Return, and you had better have a legitimate reason why we shouldn't kill you." Night-shade seemed to falter at first. Aleu saw this, and almost felt pity, but not before Night-shade regained her angry spirit once again, and renounced Aleu's offer. "I don't want your help!" She struggled to her legs, and walked eastward. Aleu ordered all to let her pass, but also had Nuk, and one another escort her off the territory.

Nagu addressed Aleu. "Aleu, I..." he was stopped mid sentence by a painful swat across the face by a strong, yet soft paw. "You idiot!" Started his attacker. He looked to see it was Aleu. His face displayed pure shock. Aleu continued, "Do you realize how afraid I was that I might lose you!?" Now he was even more shocked as she buried her face into his chest fur, on the verge of sobbing. "Oh Nagu, I was so scared! I thought she was going to kill you!" Now Aleu was crying. All her pent up emotions began an outpouring. All her fear of the future, all her angers, and her sadness; It all just came out through her relentless tears, soaked up by his thick fur. By now the others had gotten the message, and left them there to talk alone. They sat there, Aleu sobbing her soul out. Before long, it grew dark with heavy rainclouds. The two of them simply lay there, as the rain gently fell on them. After what seemed like almost an hour, Aleu finally had it in her to speak again. "I've never been more afraid of anything in my life." She said, shakily, now staring through him, as though visualizing some horrific scene. He could guess what it was."I'm... so sorry Aleu, but I'm not going anywhere. I promise." He spoke slowly, and deliberately. Aleu looked pleadingly into his eyes. He continued, "It's just that night-shade was a disaster waiting to happen. I had no choice, but to take care of her once and for all." Now she nodded, while looking down from his eyes, showing that deep down, she knew he was right. It was another thing she had no control of; But, he was still right. Now, if night-shade ever showed her face again, it would likely mean she would have to be killed, for the safety of all.

The relentless sobbing had only exhausted Aleu all the more; she simply couldn't bear to walk all the way back to the cave. However, Nagu convinced her to walk over to the shore of the only a few hundred meters from where they were before. Once there, Nagu promptly dug out a respectable den for two, and furnished it with new Cedar boughs, and reeds. They lay down together there, watch the rain drops splashing on the surface of the lake. They listened to the distant thunder, and to the sounds of the forest.

Aleu was very tired. She lay her head down beneath his. Nagu gingerly began cleaning her fur where there were still remnants from her hunt. She smiled inwardly as the gentle rhythmic rasping of Nagu's tongue on her fur was the perfect lullaby for her. She was at first worried slightly about what the pack would do overnight without them, but she convinced herself that Gale was still there. Within a few short minutes, Aleu fell fast asleep.

Aleu awoke to find Nagu nestled against her. She had to admit, he looked adorable when he slept. She regretted that she had to wake him. She nudged him gently on his ear, and called him to wake up. He didn't budge. Aleu thought it odd, but tried again. Still no response. Now Aleu was worried. She nudged him harder now, but he still didn't move. Starting to feel desperate, Aleu shifted to have a better angle. She sniffed at his slightly pale face. Something wasn't right about his smell. He smelled like... DEATH!? "No, no, no, NO! How Why?" Aleu was beginning to tear up now. She jumped out of the den to view his face more clearly, but saw a sight to horrible to describe. She couldn't cry anymore. She was too overtaken with shock to cry. Then, Aleu heard a horrible, familiar cackling. She turned behind her to see Night-shade standing there with Nagu's head gripped in her teeth. Only... it wasn't night shade!? It was the body of a grizzly, but with Night-shade's face!? She dropped Nagu, and crushed him with her massive paw, resulting in a crunchy sound that actually made her sick. "You should have killed me when you had the chance Aleu!" Again, she cackled. Night-shade Burst into flames, and jumped for her, biting, and clawing her, burning her. "Aleu!" she screamed. "Aleu!"

"Aleu!... Aleu!... Aleu wake up! You're having a nightmare!" Aleu awoke with a start. In a horrible panic, she looked around, panting and screaming in terror. Then she saw Nagu's face, his eyes worried, but stern, wise, and deep. She hung on to the look in his eyes for dear life! It was her anchor now. All her senses of logic were gone at the moment. She looked into his golden, brown eyes.

"Aleu... Take a breath." She did as he said, not being able to think for herself. She took one breath, and held it; then, after a moment, she released it. With her breathing and heart rate returning to normal, she once again was able to think straight. She looked away from his eyes, calmer now. She began remembering everything, who she was, the battle which occurred yesterday, the previous night, just everything. Now, Aleu found she couldn't remember much of what had happened in her dream, or why she had awoken so terrified. She was almost back to normal now, and she looked back to Nagu. His concerned look hadn't changed.

"Aleu? A... Are you alright?" She looked at him with her own concerned look now. Now she remembered her dream, and she knew it wasn't a good thing.

For a moment, all she could do was stare at Nagu. Now she was afraid again. She feared that the dream might have been an omen. She looked out to the lake in front of them. The sun had only just started to rise. It looked as though it was going to be a beautiful day. She started speaking slowly, trying to keep her emotions in check. "I had a dream Nagu." She looked down at her outstretched forelegs, and continued. "Night-shade brought a hideous monster back with her, and destroyed everything." Not wanting to worry him excessively, she left out the part of seeing his severed head crushed by her paw. Nagu let his ears twitch, showing he had understood her meaning about the dream. "Well, there's only so much we can do about her now Aleu." He began, trying to comfort her further. "She's long gone by now. If she is going to show up again, we'll just have to be better prepared for her." Aleu nodded somewhat to herself, as if trying to convince herself that he were right.

"Nagu?" She began. "Is there a way I can talk to Anyu?"


	5. Chapter 5: Playing With Fire

Back at the cave, the entire pack was in an uproar. The news of night-shade had spread quickly, and everyone was starting to worry seeing as Aleu and Nagu, the foremost ranking wolves of the pack, had not come home the night before. It was almost sun high now, and no one was willing to administer orders. Even Gale was a little more than hesitant to allow more than a few wolves at a time to go and make for a small, personal hunt, for fear Aleu may return and have something important to say.

The pack was riddled with conversation. Nuk continually caught snip its of gossip about, "Mable she came back during the night!?" and "They're getting close these days." Some of it was just idle gossip, but a lot of it was actually worrisome. "What if they had both gotten hurt after the fight with night-shade?" he couldn't help but ask himself.

After a while Nuk and Gale decided to get together, and talk about the situation. If Aleu wasn't going to show up soon, they decided they needed to make the orders for her. "It isn't like we haven't been left in charge before." Gale said at one point. And so they sent out the two normal border patrols, and Gale sent two wolves to accompany the young she wolf Whispering-Wind while she went to restock her supplies of herbs. Lately, the little wolf had been coming back to the den late every so often, and she only stated that she had simply gotten lost. No one truly believed she could get lost so many times, but it wasn't their business what she did out there, as long as she did the job Aleu assigned to her as healer. Gale paused a moment now, an important thought popping into her head. "Hmm... you know, I'd say Whisper has had quite a bit of training, what ever it is she does for it. She seems to be very reliable for a healer. Maybe Aleu would consider offering her a promotion." She thought about this carefully. A promotion for such a young wolf could prove to be a gamble, but then, if it turned out badly, Aleu could simply demote her to Omega again. Gale made a note to talk to Aleu about it.

The first border patrol had only just left. Gale was sitting at the cave opening, keeping watch. She caught Aleu's scent. She noticed, not for the first time, that it was getting stronger, though not in a bad way. Aleu was indeed the Alpha of this pack, and now even her scent said so. Now, Gale watched as Aleu and Nagu walked up over the top of a hill, and approached the cave. As they came near, she greeted them, hoping to get some news. She said, "Aleu." Nodding respectfully. "Nagu. How was your nig..." Obviously she was about to say something very wrong, as Nagu stuffed her mouth with his tail, keeping her from talking. She was about to protest, but the look Nagu gave her, and the way Aleu hadn't even noticed her, but rather, was watching her own feet as she walked, told Gale that there was indeed something very important, and maybe something very wrong happening.

Gale followed the two of them into the den. At the mouth of the cave, the three of them stood, and looked down to the activities below. Aleu gave Nagu the go ahead, so he howled an order for silence and attention. Aleu thanked Nagu, then addressed the present members of the pack. "Good afternoon my wolves. I can only hope your nights all went more smoothly than my own." There was a wave of murmurings as they responded to what she said. She waited until she had their attention again. "I have been gifted a vision of disaster for sometime in the near future." Now there was a synchronous gasp. "The spirits have told me that something is very wrong in this land. Night-shade will return, and bring this havoc upon us." The assembled wolves continued their murmurings. "I need everyone to remain on alert for anything that seems out of the ordinary. From this point on your are all scouts at all times. I'm not sure what this disaster in the making is, but it may have to do with fire, bears, and maybe even humans." The wolves didn't even gasp this time. They were too transfixed by the meaning of this news. "You all probably don't need me to warn you how dangerous the humans can be. If you see, or smell them, avoid them at all costs, and report back to me or your Betas. That is all I have to say for now. Carry on with your duties."

With that, the activities of the den took to the forest, and Aleu turned to Gale and Nagu, after summoning Nuk as well. She sat before the three of them. "How many of you actually knew of my powers; before I did I mean." Nagu spoke first. "Aleu, Nava and I both knew you would have powers." Now Gale also spoke. "I also knew that you were special mistress." Aleu looked to Nuk, who looked as confused as ever. He obviously still didn't know of her actual powers. At first she had felt a small boiling feeling within her soul, similar to anger, but it calmed now, hearing that Nava had even known. However, she still felt her voice rising as she spoke. "Is there anything else your, or Nava knew about me that might be paramount to my being the Alpha!?" Now Nagu sighed, his eyes cast downward, sorry he hadn't told her earlier. He looked Aleu in the eyes, a dangerous move while she was angry. "Yes, my leader... Your grandmother was... Anyu." Both Aleu, and Nuk gasped in surprise. Aleu was still fighting to keep her temper in check. "Why didn't you tell me?" Nagu took his place by the others again. "We had to keep it a secret from Night-shade, and everyone else too. It was dangerous to let even you know." Aleu's anger suddenly vanished, as understanding dawned on her. She sighed, and responded. "I see... but now with her gone, it's better I should know." Nagu continued, "Yes Aleu. Now you know everything."

Aleu had not known that her heritage was the source of her power; she was stronger than she looked, faster too. She could talk to animals that the others couldn't, and commune with the spirits almost at will. She even noticed those who were injured tended to heal quicker when near her for a prolonged period of time, such as with Whispering-Wind. She even had a strong learning curve for everything wolf related, as if she already knew the things she learned, and was only remembering them from long ago. Now, she knew why. She was the granddaughter of the very powerful wolf spirit, Anyu, when she had taken on mortal flesh for a time, and given birth to Her father, Balto. With this knowledge, every question hovering around 'why me?' became clear. She truly was chosen for her destiny.

Despite Aleu now knowing her true nature, she preferred that as few of her pack knew about it as possible; at least for now. She wanted to be known, and respected for who she was as a leader, not as the equivalent of a demigod. Gale and Nagu agreed to keep her secret, and Nuk wasn't even sure who Anyu was. For the rest of the day, Aleu and the pack carried on as normal. Everyone hunted small prey when they were hungry, and Gale and Nagu arranged regular border patrols.

Recently, the patrols had been seeing signs of bear activity near the north-eastern border. Aleu assigned an extra patrol each day to that one area, but no one believed it was a big deal at this time.

It was approaching sunset, and Aleu had been busy all day, helping pick up the slack she and Nagu had left that morning when they returned to the pack at noon. She felt spent. She wanted to visit with her spirit guide Muru, and decided she ought go to the lake.

She was there now. As usual, the water was clear, and calm. Aleu watched as she saw several small trout swimming through the shallows. She heard a noise, the noise of geese, flying overhead. She looked up, and saw several good sized groups flying due south. She noticed a chill breeze catch her fur, and she shivered. She knew that winter was rapidly approaching. Soon there would be snow.

It wasn't as if she disliked the winter. The snow was beautiful, and the bugs were gone. Unfortunately however, this year would be her first winter as a wolf, and she could imagine food would be scarce. At the moment however, she could regularly see bountiful prey everywhere she tried to look. She knew this was because all the animals were making a mad rush to prepare for the cold winter ahead. This was also the opportunity for all the wolves to prepare themselves for winter as well.

She heard a whispering in hear ear. It said to her, "Aleu. This is your right to survive. You will need your strength this winter." As if on cue, she heard her stomach rumble. She hadn't eaten much since yesterday. Aleu noticed porcupine rummaging in the leaves off to the side. Seeing the well armed animal made her feel more hungry. Her stomach growled at her again. Aleu decided she ought to listen to her conscience. She crouch into a stalking stance, and crept toward the small animal from the side. She had entered the trees by now. The porcupine still had yet to notice her. Aleu sniffed the air around her. The porcupine was a grown male. He would be strong and healthy. Aleu licked her lips, not out of hunger, but out of concentration. She looked around, and saw that the animal was approaching a small rock overhang. She quietly made her way around to the top, beating the porcupine to it. The porcupine noticed her just as she reached the top, and growled at her, however, it was too late. Aleu toppled a small rock down onto the porcupine. The porcupine's tail was trapped under the stone, so Aleu took her opportunity, and pounced, ready to take her kill.

Aleu pinned the animal down with her paw, and spoke to the porcupine. "Hold still you! I just... need to get your neck!" The animal was struggling hard. "Let me go! Please!" Aleu tried not to listen too much, but the animals pleas were so desperate. "Sorry kiddo, but your mine now." The porcupine noticed that Aleu could speak. "How can you understand me?" She replied quickly, "Never mind that! Prepare yourself mister. I'm gonna eat you." Aleu couldn't help but feel pity for the creature, as his eyes grew wider with terror. She spoke a last time to the animal. "What's your name?" He replied, now with a little anger, "Why do you care!?" "I don't like to kill my prey without knowing who they were." Was all she could say, her eyes starting to betray her emotions of pity. "I,... Brian. My name is Brian. Please just let me go?" Now Brian's plea actually struck her, and she felt the pang of guilt which had always plagued her. "I, I'm sorry Brian, but I need to eat somehow." With that, Aleu ended Brian's life with a single quick bite to his neck, his blood leaving a bitter taste in her mouth from her guilt.

She ignored this however, as she had grown used to her need to eat. She carried the carcass back to the den which Nagu and she had shared earlier that day, and sat down near its opening, and began eating. Although she still felt a little guilt, her stomach held all which she swallowed, and so she ate. She had almost finished half of her meal when Nagu appeared by the tree line. "Oh, Aleu. High! I didn't think I'd find you here." She licked her chops clean and greeted Nagu. "Care to join me?" She offered. "Well, I could go for a quick meal. Thanks." He lay beside her and partook of a large, muscly leg. After a few moments of eating, she thought she should break the silence. "His name was Brian ya' know." Nagu paused a moment, and looked to the carcass. He sat up with a small sigh. "I'm not sure why you bother Aleu. Maybe you want to feel guilty?" Her ears twitched back ever so slightly, but she held her peace. He snorted to himself, and continued. "It's your business if you'd rather talk to your food, but I know that I couldn't handle that, but I suppose when you think about it..." He paused now, and looked over to Aleu. "I guess it just makes you that much better of a person." Now Aleu had a look of surprise at his unexpected compliment. He continued, "And your are a good person, Aleu. Your true, kind, and determined." He lay back down to her level, and dared to nuzzle her cheek quickly. "If I had to guess, that's why Nava and Anyu chose you." He pulled back, and looked at Aleu. She looked down at her meal, and forced herself to take another bite, though she wasn't very hungry anymore. She sighed. "Your right..." 'humph' she snorted to herself. "Your right Nagu. I should probably just lay off the talking to my prey a bit." She got up, and walked to the waters edge.

She looked down, and saw her reflection. She had a little of Brian's blood around her jaws. She took a drink from the water, her tongue disturbing the reflection. She looked again, and saw Nagu had walked to her side. She looked sideways to him, and met his golden colored eyes. She couldn't help but feel attached to him, like she could stay there in that moment, looking into his eyes forever. However, another group of geese passed overhead. She looked up, forcing her eyes away from his. She sat down, and began grooming her chest fur. Nagu also noticed the geese, but noticed more how Aleu was attempting to change the subject, and so he obliged. "Winter will be here soon. I expect it'll start snowing in the next two or three weeks." Aleu, who was glad to be talking about something other than her strange abilities, looked ahead, out at the lake, pretending to be sternly uninterested. "Yes. Food will start getting scarce before long. We will be needing to increase our hunting patrols. Everyone will need any extra food we can find before the first lasting snow comes along." She paused a moment to think. She noticed the sun was turning the sky a lovely array of orange and red as night approached. "I'm still worried about the meaning of the dream though Nagu; We need to be ready for whatever issue night-shade brings about."

Nagu figured he ought to go check the pack, and make sure everything was still orderly. Aleu bid him goodnight, but decided to stay a little longer.

Now she was alone. She stared up to the now blood red sky. As she watched, the northern lights began to show, ever so slightly. Aleu made a small gasp of delight. It had been a while since she had seen the dancing colors of the northern winter nights. As she watched, the sky suddenly became filled with falling snow flakes. Aleu couldn't help but stare in amazement. She began jumping up at the beautiful tiny flakes of ice. One fell onto Aleu's nose and she stopped to watch it melt. The tickling cold made her sneeze.

As Aleu was there, playing and dancing through the falling snow, a figure began to from in the swirling wind, and snow across the lake from her. Aleu stopped, and stared when she saw it, and recognized the creature from the myths of the snow white wolf spirit Anyu. Aleu stared in shock, and disbelief that Anyu had finally come to her. Then, her eyes widened with her smile. Aleu ran as fast as she could around the lake to meet her grandmother.

Aleu wanted so very badly to tackle, and cuddle with the ancient, wise she wolf, but managed to refrain from showing a puppy-like attitude. As she approached Anyu, Aleu slowed to a walk. Now she was a meter from the ancient one, and she stopped there, sat down, and bowed her head respectfully. Without meeting her eyes, she said in a slow, and meaningful tone, "Hello great Anyu. What have you come to tell me?" Anyu now stood from sitting herself, and walked over to where Aleu stood. "I only have come to encourage you Aleu." Now Aleu dared to look up, and looked into the purely golden eyes of the pure white furred spirit, transfixed. Anyu looked out toward the darkening lake, rather, past it. "I have watched you for a long while Aleu. You have grown much since you left your father's side." Aleu's ears pricked, and Anyu looked back to her. "But now, you seem unsure of yourself. You dislike the part you play as a wolf in the hunt." Now Aleu spoke, looking down with sadness, and a little shame. "How could I not? Every time I hunt my next meal, it's like I take the life of a friend. They speak to me, and I hear them." She looked back to Anyu. "Am I wrong to feel sorrowful about their life ending at my teeth?" Anyu looked Aleu closely in the eye, and said, "Of course not Aleu. Like your friend Nagu said, it only makes you a better person." She looked back out across the lake. "You must remember Aleu; Everything has it's time. It isn't your decision to take a life that determines when that time is. Nor was it mine."

As she said this, she looked down with a hint of sadness in her voice. Aleu knew she was referring to the time after her father's birth, after Anyu had returned from her mortal body to her ethereal one. "You loved him, didn't you. My grandfather I mean." Anyu nodded. "Yes Aleu; I did. I also love your father, just as I love you." Anyu said, looking back to Aleu. "We all have our time on this earth. Even your friend Muru was once a mortal. It is your duty to your pack. Do not fear your need to hunt Aleu. It is all part of the cycle that is life." Anyu's body seemed to fade away into the breeze, her golden luminescent eyes remaining for a moment in the darkness, before they too faded, her soothing, echoing voice repeating, like a fading echo, "Embrace it Aleu. Don't be afraid of who you are." And then, the white wolf was gone.

The next few days went without incident. Aleu arranged more hunts, as it was clear the prey was already becoming scarce. The weather became progressively colder as the days grew shorter. After talking with Anyu, Aleu felt much more confident in her abilities as the alpha, and as a hunter. She knew that her confidence would be important as caribou would soon be the only common prey, as most others would be hibernating soon.

Aleu kept an eye on the northern border. As prey became more scarce, the signs of bears near that border became more prominent. They could not afford to have bears hunting the prey they depended on. However, the transition to winter was not all bad; every night now, the northern lights would dance, and play high above them from dusk til dawn. Aleu often found herself staring in wonder at the magnificent light show.

One night, the sky was as clear as she had seen it since she arrived at their new home. Everyone was just about settled down for sleep, and Aleu thought to try to commune with Muru. It had been several days since she had last spoken with him, and she had questions. And so Aleu set out. Rather than visiting the lake, which was almost a kilometer away, she had spent her late nights sitting atop the hill that made the roof of the cave. It had an excellent view of their territory. This night, she climbed the tall hill, and looked around. She breathed in the scenery, and beheld, not for the first time, that her pack's home was a wonderful blend between dense forest, an enormous gorge which led into a massive valley with wide open grass plains, as well as several mountainous areas with specifically pine forests. It was a massive swath of land, and so far had proven more than adequate for her pack. She wondered at how she had managed to keep everything working so perfectly so far.

Now Aleu looked up to the stars, and the northern lights. She sat, closed her eyes, and breathed a silent prayer to whosoever would listen that she and her pack are able to live peacefully for the rest of her days. She knew it was foolish to think her life would be perfect, but she still liked to hope. However, she would live to see her peace interrupted yet again sooner than she could have imagined.

This night though, was calm, and peaceful. She reached out with her thoughts, trying to call for her dear friend, and guide Muru. He always had time for her, and always had something of value to say. She would not have to wait long.

"Hello Aleu. It's a very nice night; wouldn't you agree?" Muru asked, materializing before her feet. She looked down to meet his eyes. "It's good to see you again Muru." Aleu began. "I have worries and questions I'd hoped you could answer." Not surprisingly, Muru responded that he knew perfectly well of her fears for the winter. He also told her once again, "If your ever in doubt Aleu, don't be. Believe in yourself; have faith in your decisions, and your ability to carryout what you must." This comforted Aleu somewhat, but she still had worries. "The main reason I called you tonight Muru, is because I was hoping for some advice." He answered, "What I have to offer may not be exactly what you are seeking Aleu." She allowed her ears to tilt back slightly, and she looked back up to the night sky. She said, "Am I missing something Muru? Is there anything I... no, we could be doing to prepare further?" Now Muru answered her, saying, "You shouldn't over worry yourself Aleu. It may be your first winter as a wolf, but it is not so for your friends and comrades. Let them be there for you, just as you have been there for them." She looked down to see him smiling up at her. He finished, "Although the future is never truly certain Aleu, I can tell you this: Prepare yourself for the bad times of life, for they are ever as present as the good times. Then, the bad times will not hurt as much, so you can more enjoy the good times with loved ones." Then, without warning, Muru vanished in the wind like smoke. She was alone again.

Aleu took one final glance at the light show dancing above, and wondered if her mother Jenna, and her Papa, Balto, could see the same lights. She sighed to herself, and led herself away, back down the hill to the cave. She couldn't help notice Gale was sleeping strangely. She went up to the curled up she wolf, and nudged her. The only response was a shiver, followed by some shallow coughing. Aleu was slightly concerned about Gale now, and she sniffed her whole body over. When Aleu reached her face, she smelled a familiar, metallic reek; the smell of blood, and mucus. She recognized it immediately as the onset of Pneumonia.

Aleu rushed silently over to the bed of Whispering-Wind, and awoke her. Once Aleu had told Whisper of Gale's condition, they carefully guided the weakened she wolf over to a special bed of moss, designed to keep a wolf warmer. Aleu stayed with Gale all that night, knowing there was a better chance for Gale's recovery if she stayed by her. She regularly woke to check her condition. However, even after treating Gale with healing herbs, she made no sign of improvement. Nonetheless, Whisper maintained her confidence that Gale would fully recover.

Nagu had been out on patrol that night with three others, doing special reconnaissance on the north eastern border. The bears near the border had ramped up their activities, and Aleu wanted regular surveillance. The last thing they needed was a group of bears eating their only source of prey. Thankfully however, there was only a week left before most bears took to hibernating themselves, according to Aga, the elder. However, bears would be the least of their worries as Nagu would soon find.

They had just reached the top of the mountain overlooking their eastern border. Nagu and his patrol had been tracking a grizzly for almost 5 miles, and they had just crossed out of their border. Nagu knew Aleu would want to know of bears inside their borders. For now however, Nagu was intent on investigating further, and so they set out down the mountain side opposite their home. "Nagu? Do you smell that!?" Nagu paused now, and lifted his head, trying to gain a whiff of the elusive scent Chugach, the best tracker they had, had smell. After a moment, Nagu smelled it as well. It was smoke. The smell of smoke could only mean two possibilities, and the first one wasn't visible, ruling it out. Dread filled Nagu's soul, forming a pit in his stomach. "Come on, we need to check this out, and see what exactly we are dealing with." His band nodded their affirmation, and so they walked.

In very little time, they came across a small village of Inuit humans. "They're practically on our door step!" Said the she wolf, Honeysuckle. "Yeah; I've seen enough. We need to report this, now!" Said Nagu. They quickly retreated, heading back over their border, while doing a final quick sweep of the area to look for fresh activity. Although his team finds no further evidence of the bears, Nagu scents a stale wolf scent. Surprised, he checks carefully. He thinks to himself, "Well, at least it's not night shade." Finally convinced that there is no reason for them to remain longer, the group heads home for the night.

Meanwhile, back at the cave, it was almost moon high. Aleu awoke for the second time from her light, cold, half sleep, to check Gale's condition. By now she was getting tired. She looked down to her friend and Beta. She had improved. Gales breathing was now deeper, and much less ragged sounding. Aleu checked her nose, and noticed the fever had gone down, and their was less dripping mucus. "That's good." She thought. Aleu quietly wakes Whisper, as it is her turn to watch Gale. She informs Whisper that Gale seems to have improved, and should be set for the remainder of the night. Whisper also checks this, and confirms Aleu's hopes. Aleu made a note to herself that Gale was right about Whisper; She was indeed growing very dependable. Aleu decided she should consider promoting the healer after all. It would only make her more effective.

Aleu was about to retreat to her ledge, when Nagu howled to her from over the nearby ravine. Some of the wolves stirred, but they all knew it was a call for her, and not them. As she left the cave to meet Nagu, she met his team. She made a quick assessment of their state, and noticed that, thankfully, none were injured. Whatever Nagu had to report, it wasn't as serious as a battle.

Aleu climbed to the top of the ravine, and found Nagu waiting for her. "Nagu? What have you to report?" "The bears were inside our border today Aleu." She flattened her ears, and let out a low growl. He continued, "They probably left long before we arrived though, and I don't think they killed any of our prey." She let her ears return to normal. "That's a good sign. As long as they aren't killing prey, and stay far away from the den, we shouldn't have a problem." He nodded absently, not looking at Aleu anymore. "Nagu? What's wrong? Did you find something else?" Again, Nagu nodded, and now looked into her eyes with a frightening seriousness. "We found a human village tonight. It's practically right on our border Aleu." Aleu gasped, but then took a moment to think over the situation. "Did they try to chase you, or seem like they were hunters?" "No ma'am. There must've been only a few families living there, and most were raising sheep, and yak." Aleu looked thoughtful at this news. "Hmmm... I want every wolf to maintain a wide berth from that village. Don't let anyone go near it." Nagu nodded. She continued, "Also, I want you to take me there yourself. I have more experience with humans. I need to see more carefully what we're looking at here. The last thing we need is a bunch of angry humans looking for us." Again, Nagu replied, "Yes ma'am. I can bring you anytime you want." She was satisfied with this, and replied, "Very well; We'll go at sun high tomorrow." With that they retreated to the den.

Aleu asked Nagu to stay with her that night. It was the coldest night they'd had in a week, and she was too tired to risk waking to the cold again. Nagu obliged. He was happy to provide his alpha and friend with warmth, and companionship. They had been apart for several days, constantly preparing for the cold of winter.

Now they lay down on Aleu's ledge. She yawned, and bade Nagu good night, before planting a single lick on his cheek. She lay her head down, and began to fall into a comfortable sleep. Nagu's heart beat at a steady pace, making for the perfect lullaby for Aleu. Within minutes, Aleu was fast Asleep. Nagu, however, found sleep slightly more difficult.

He couldn't help remember that before his team had returned, he had smelled traces of a rogue wolf within their border. He hadn't thought it was significant at the time, but now he believed it was another thing they may have to consider while checking the borders. Aleu had taken in a rogue pair before; they had been caring for a single surviving pup, and Aleu wanted to see the pup safe. The pair had moved on after three days, grateful for the food and shelter. The rogue he smelled now however, had not been their scent. It had been someone else, someone new.

The moon had begun to set by now however, and Nagu knew he would need his sleep. He tried to carefully adjust himself to a more comfortable position. Aleu sighed peacefully beside him. He looked at her peaceful form, and couldn't but feel a warm feeling of happiness, mixed with protectiveness over his leader; and there was something else he hadn't really felt before. He couldn't help but wonder: "Am I... in love?"

This would be a pressing question that had to wait however, as the winter was coming, with all its pains and horrors.


	6. Chapter 6: The Enemy is Within

The next morning, Aleu and Nagu planned carefully to have all the patrols set up while they were out. Nuk would supervise patrols to the east, Aga would keep the west, and Aleu and Nagu would lead a group due-North to the border to locate the human village just beyond it while seeking additional signs of bears or rogues.

Finally, around sun-high, Aleu and Nagu had finished all of the arrangements and had set out with two others. The walk there took almost two hours, but they made it safely. Now Aleu sent Nagu with one other to the north-eastern border, while she and Honeysuckle combed the North-western border; their biggest priority was to watch their borders with finding the human settlement being second.

Almost an hour went by with very little conversation. It was a long trek, as the snow had started to come down in a cold wind off the side of the mountain. Aleu was thankful she had her fellow wolves near at paw so it wasn't likely they would lose anyone in the storm. Regardless, the wind was still blowing, and it was nearly impossible to scent anything from more than a few meters, making patrolling next to impossible. They walked onward through the deepening snow.

They had reached the mountain after what seemed to Aleu like another hour. It's monolithic size made it so most of the wind blown snow was going over the tree tops in this area, making it seem darker than it was on the upside. Regardless of the decreased lighting, Aleu was glad to be out of the cold wind. The next part of the mission was the hard part.

Aleu gulped as she stared up toward the ridge above them. It wasn't a truly steep climb, but from her current standpoint, it seemed daunting. Aleu gave the order, and their assent began. They trekked upward without stopping for more than a minute for almost another hour. At one point, the fourth wolf, a male named Drexel, almost fell into a chasm hidden by the thick snow. Aleu was sure to be more careful after that.

When they finally arrived at the top of the ridge, Aleu looked back at her territory. 'Funny'. She never would have guessed it were so large and beautiful from the ground. Before her was a wondrous seen of a pine forest with dense clouds pouring from the mountain face, seeming to hover just above the treetops. She could also see the plains, and the gorge from where she stood. She suddenly felt very tiny; 'Her entire world was just a tiny speck in the face of the whole of the land.' She stood for a moment, and breathed in the view.

After a moment, her thoughts were interrupted by Nagu, as he urged her onward, down the opposite side of the ridge. Aleu could see a small river running along the base of the mountain. She guessed the village would be set right beside it somewhere.

Aleu's patrol didn't have to try very hard to find the human settlement; Aleu scented the familiar smell of pine and hickory smoke, and began tracking it along the side of the mountain. After they had trekked a few miles, they finally managed to catch a glimpse of a few small wisps of smoke rising from what was undoubtedly chimneys. They approached carefully when they had gotten close enough to hear some of the activities below them.

Aleu and her patrol had found the settlement, and had gone right up to the end of the tree line, trying to ensure they would stay hidden. With that in mind, Aleu and her patrol were safe to explore the outside of the village. She went with Honeysuckle, while Nagu went around the other way with Drexel. While she and Honeysuckle were exploring, Aleu noticed three familiar structures. One was a an animal farm with yak and sheep wintering in the barn. The other two were a large smoke house, and a hunter' tannery. The latter concerned Aleu the most.

When they met up again opposite the mountain side, Aleu described her findings, while Nagu had nothing significant to report. Nonetheless, the hunter's tannery, and the animal farm were a serious concern. If any rogue wolves started attacking the farm's livestock, the hunter would likely come and find them. Bears they could handle, but a hunter might mean the end for her entire pack. The very thought made Aleu feel slightly ill to her stomach.

She had an idea she hoped would do more good than harm. "Alright everybody, here's the plan. Honeysuckle, you take Drexel around the east side and mark up the property as close as you can get safely. Nagu and I will take the other side. If we mark it as under our protection, any rogues may be less likely to attack the animals." Honeysuckle looked to Drexel with a nervous look. Aleu knew everyone was uncomfortable with this plan. They would be exposed for a long period of time, and would have to use the buildings for cover.

Luckily, there were very few dogs in the area at that time of day, though Aleu didn't know why for certain. The fact that dogs were present in good numbers in this town made her more certain her plan would work. If the dogs found their scent markers, they would mark it themselves even more, thus making it even less attractive for rogues. Aleu was confident this could work.

When the group finally regrouped at the tree line, they were no worse for wear. Honeysuckle and Drexel had almost be spotted by a single dog, but had gotten away without being found. Now, Aleu was convinced they had nothing more to worry about regarding the humans for the moment, and decided they should begin making their way back to the border. They hadn't sensed anything abnormal when they first passed through it, but now the storm had died out, and it would be far easier to track trespassers and threats. The walk back took even longer now, since the snow had gotten several inches deeper over the last hour and a half they were exploring the village for.

Once Aleu had once again climbed to the top of the ridge with her followers, she sent Drexel and Honeysuckle off to check the east bound border, and report home when finished. She and Nagu took the western bound border length. It was an easier trek along the mountain base. The snow hadn't fallen much at all there.

Aleu and Nagu took turns marking suitable trees, though Aleu found the habit of male dogs to use urine a little too crude. Instead, she preferred to roll around on the ground when she found a suitable area, or sometimes she would scratch a tree with her claws, and rub against it with her side, or swipe it with her tail. Aside from marking the tree, it also made her full smell nice, though it was also sticky, and her fur would have to be properly cleaned later on.

Aleu and Nagu had almost finished their border run, but Aleu found something. It was a blood trail. She didn't know where it had started, but she wanted to investigate.

When Aleu came close enough to smell it, she could have sworn it smelled familiar. When she asked Nagu to help her, he confirmed what she was afraid of. The blood was from Night-shade.

While Nagu seemed coolly irritated, Aleu found it disconcerting that a fellow wolf was on their territory, and had been injured. She hoped it hadn't been by a fight lost by one of her own. To be sure, Aleu sent Nagu to back-track the trail to it's source, to see if one of their pack had been murdered or killed during a fight with Night-shade; Aleu followed the trail to see what she could find. She thought it was kind of Nagu to volunteer for the potentially more dangerous task, but she had a hunch she would be the better wolf for the job; and so they went their separate ways.

Aleu tracked Night-shade for three miles past where she had first found the trail. The blood trail had long since ceased, indicating a minor injury, but Night-shade still had a bad limp, though not on the leg Nagu had injured. Aleu had been an active hunter long enough to realize this wasn't a case of a wolf on wolf battle. Whatever did this to Night-shade had probably scratched her, and used blunt force to hurt her hind left leg. Aleu didn't want to see this to be true either, but it seemed there was no other option: There was a bear on their territory. She would have to see to it's being hunted down, and have it either killed, or chased away. Not now though. Hibernation day for the bears was two days away. The bear was no longer a threat to their food supply.

When Aleu came to the end of the trail, she found a pitiful sight. There was Night-shade, curled up under a large pine tree, it's branches weighed down with the heavy snow upon it. She had fashioned herself a tiny enclave of snow and cedar boughs to keep the wind out. Aleu approached her carefully, trying not to disturb the she wolf.

Now, she was almost on top of Night-shade, and yet she hadn't budged. Aleu was close enough to sniff her, and found that Night-shade was unconscious. Aleu had half a mind to leave her, or even to end her, but it was quickly vanquished by a much stronger argument. She thought she heard the voice of Muru at the back of her mind, whispering, "Have mercy Aleu. Have mercy, and you may be surprised at what lies beneath what little of her you have seen." Aleu sighed. She knew Muru was right. She didn't have it in her to carry out her own sentence for Night-shade, and eliminate her. Instead, she decided to find out what had happened, using a small trick she had learned while hunting small prey.

Aleu lay down beside the catatonic wolf, blocking additional wind from the shelter, and sharing her body heat with Night-shade. She nuzzled her way to Night-shade's foreleg, which lay beneath her stiffened body. Aleu knew this might take a while, and so she made certain she would be in a comfortable position. Now there was one final step: Aleu closed her eyes, and concentrated, Night-shades scent being the only thing to fill her mind now. Aleu opened her eyes, her eyes glowing an iridescent blue around her irises, and she bit down hard onto Night-shade's foreleg.

Aleu tasted metal, and felt a large amount of her own strength ebb, as it flowed through her teeth, and into Night-shade. The dark furred wolf gasped with the new strength, and began breathing more strongly, though she made no move to awaken. Aleu's vision became hazy, and she closed her eyes, passing into a deep sleep; She would soon ask Night-shade about all that had happened to her.

Aleu woke to find herself in a brightly lit spring meadow. She looked around, and breathed in the scenery. There were flowers of every color she could imagine (She was color blind in the waking world). She knew perfectly well that she was dreaming. In fact, this was her own dream, and one she had dreamed before. She smelled the sweet aurora of the meadow Flora, and stood up. She looked around, and heard a light, cheery laughter in the distance, over a nearby hill. She climbed to the top, and saw there, below her, was a scene which would make her weep.

At first, it was a happy scene. She saw an adolescent Night-shade, and a more mature Marigold. They were playing together in the field. They looked as if they were having so much fun. Also looking on were two wolves, a male, and a female. Aleu guessed they were the parents. Suddenly, the sky darkened with heavy rain clouds. There was an ominous laughter, and a dog barking coming from above, in the sky itself. The family of four ran from the storm front and Aleu followed. She guessed she wasn't part of the dream. Aleu watched now as lighting came down a sound of a gunshot, and killed the father on the spot. Night-shade had screamed with sorrowful agony, and started to turn, but Marigold and their mother urged her to keep going. Before long, a second bolt, this one silent, came down in front of the mother, and spawned a great many hunting dogs, which promptly murdered the mother. Marigold told Night-shade to take shelter under a rocky overhang, and she turned to the storm. She called out, "I am not afraid of you!" The storm clouds let out another thundering laugh. Marigold growled, and roared at the storm clouds and they swirled away with a great wind emanating from Marigold. Aleu couldn't help but think that this, seeing another's dream first hand, was one of the most bizarre things she'd ever known. Aleu knelt down, cowering, so as to avoid being caught in the wind, and blown out of the dream.

When she opened her eyes, below her was an icy scene she recognized immediately as the ice bridge. She watched in horror as the scene was played out exactly as she had seen it the first time. She had acted at the last possible moment to save Nagu and Gale, but rather than Marigold simply disappearing beneath the ice, she reappeared behind Aleu, though more ghostly, and somewhat transparent. "Aleu." Marigold began, "Aleu; you did not kill me. You did the right thing, and saved my little sister in doing so." Aleu knew this was a part of her dream now, but boy was it vivid. Marigold continued. "Go to her Aleu. Comfort her here in this place. Let her know yourself that you are still there for her." Aleu wanted to ask her a few questions, but Marigold simply shook her head no. "I am not really here Aleu. But, my sister is, and she needs you Aleu. She has nobody now. Be the somebody who will bring her back from disaster." With that, Marigold crumbled like ash, and blew away on a breeze. Aleu once again felt this was going to scar her mind, but she knew the apparition of Marigold was right, though she didn't know how she knew. "I swear, if dreams weren't so enjoyable, I'd have a hatred of them." She grumbled to herself; Nothing made true sense in this world. Still, she approached Night-shade, who lay weeping at a grave stone in the meadow, since the scenery had changed again. "Night-shade?" Aleu tried gently. Night-shade's ears pricked, and she gasped ever so slightly. She turned and stared wide eyed at Aleu.

She started angrily, though more surprised. "Why are you here? I don't dream about you!?" Aleu replied, "I... I, uh, am here to try to make things right Night-shade." Aleu looked to her feet with shame and sadness. "I know you blame me for your sister's death, but I..." She was interrupted by Night-shade, who had returned to staring at her sister's grave. "I don't blame you Aleu. I never did." She sighed, her tears returning, and she continued. "If you hadn't acted, Gale and Nagu would have died as well as me. It's just that my parents and sister always knew I was ambitious since birth. They wanted to see me rise to Beta, and maybe even to Alpha." She looked back to Aleu, her eyes betraying nothing but the ever present look of blackness. "Nagu was always next in line for being alpha, and he had always been sweet on me. Together, we would have been the next alphas of the pack. Then, the hunters came, and changed everything. The caribou disappeared, and you were chosen to take Nava's place by Anyu. After that, I was nobody." She looked up at the sky and started talking in a more aggressive tone to the heavens. "You left me with nobody! Now, I am nobody! Why am I still here!?" She looked down to her feet, her voice shaking, suggesting she might resume weeping. "Just take me already. Take me and end my miserable life." Aleu was by her side by now, and she looked into her eyes. "You don't have to be a nobody Night-shade. Come back to the pack. I, uh, Aleu will welcome you back if you tell her the truth. She'll understand." She had to be careful not to end the dream by shocking Night-shade with the reality that she was there with her. Night-shade spoke again. "I can't." Aleu pressed her further, asking, "Why can't you Night-shade? Why can't you just ask Aleu forgiveness, and forgive her too?" The scene began warping around them. Night-shade had closed her eyes tightly, as if remembering something. It grew dark, and Aleu found she was in the frozen forest, a dark fog surrounding them. Night-shade opened her eyes, and a shadowy creature with glowing red eyes emerged from a fog before them. It was the silhouette of a grizzly.

The shadow bear roared, and Night-shade froze with terror, even when Aleu told her to run. "I...Hate...DREAMS!" Aleu cursed aloud, though careful not to let Night-shade hear. Aleu was far out of harms way, but she had begun running back to save Night-shade, but the bear attacked, it's white hot claws slashed Night-shade's leg. Aleu noticed it was the same leg which had been injured in real life. A bubbling toxic smoke sizzled out from the gash, though no blood.

"No blood?" Aleu thought, though the thought echoed where all could hear. "She must be battling the injury for real now, and I have to help her win. If I don't she may really die!" Aleu growled deeply, and dashed for the hulking bear. She pounced, and caught the shadow creature by surprise, hanging from it's ear, while she kicked at its eyes. The monster roared in pain, and reared itself, throwing Aleu off. She landed with a thud, though she felt no significant pain. She only felt weaker, and slower. "I must be channeling my strength to her injury again. If I'm not careful, I'll end up dying with her." She thought, this time the thought staying in her own mind. Night-shade had begun to fade, and was getting see through. "It's time to end this!" Aleu roared with the force of Anyu, and jumped at the shadow bear. She bit down on the monstrous creature's throat, and felt it soft, like a cloud.

As Aleu bit down harder, and harder, she felt something rip beneath her teeth. The bear collapsed, and moved no more. She let go, and stood back, not certain if the bear was truly gone. Suddenly, the began exploding in a flash of bright light, brighter than the sun, starting where she had bitten it. She looked away, and saw it was Night-shade underneath it. She still had the injury on her leg, and this time it was bleeding. "Aleu?" She began, pleadingly, and weakly. "Please..." 'pant' "Please help me." Aleu saw tears welling up in Night-shade's eyes, and she knew the dark furred she wolf knew she was really there. Aleu, who had been holding her breath, while gaping, shook her head to clear her mind. She stopped, and opened her eyes, and they were once again in the sunlit meadow. She went to lay beside her dying comrade. "Hold still Night-shade." She began licking the injury gingerly, feeling another small amount of her strength ebb. The injury seemed to waiver, and glow sparklingly as she licked it. As she watched, the sinews reformed, and the blood seeped back into the wound, before her leg resealed itself. She heard a sharp 'snap!' as Night-shade's femur set itself, and began healing. The pain must have been significant, as the dream world cracked like ice on a frozen lake. The ground beneath her shook, and broke away, and she plummeted, screaming, into eternal blackness.


	7. Chapter 7: Don't let the Darkness In

Aleu awoke with Drexel and Nagu lying next to her under the pine tree with herself and Night-shade. She started, mostly to herself, "Hmm? How did..." She didn't finish. Night-shade had began to stir as well. Aleu noticed that much like in the dream there was no longer any trace of the bleeding gash which had been on her leg the previous night. The noise roused Nagu and Drexel. The two males had been shielding her and Night-shade from the cold. It had actually become mildly stuffy, though not uncomfortable, due to the combined heat of the four bodies. Nagu looked to Aleu and Night-shade. She gave him a look that said 'I'll tell you later', and she looked instead to Night-shade. The dark wolf had trouble at first lifting her head. She gritted her teeth with the effort, and collapsed for a moment. She tried again, and this time Aleu caught her. Night shade opened her eyes, and remembered what had happened in her dream. She looked to Aleu with a plea in her eye. "Aleu?" She began, "I am so, so sorry; about everything. Would you consider taking me back?" Aleu smiled and nuzzled Night-shade affectionately. She had know Night-shade since that first day she and he father had wondered into the Nava's territory. She was glad to have Night-shade back as a friend and comrade.

It was early in the morning, and the sun was well on the rise. As the four walked home, Nagu explained how he and Drexel had searched for Aleu the previous night, fearing the worst. They had found her biting Night-shade, passed out, for a reason only she and Nagu knew. Aleu found herself once again admiring the strapping wolf before her for his wise disposition, given his heritage as grandson of Nava. She noticed he had started shedding his old coat for one which was a lighter, more tan color. She guessed he was one of those wolves who change fur color during the winter for camouflage and warmth. Aleu was grateful that he had found her, else she would have been very stiff this morning. As she was, Aleu was no worse for wear. Her fur was highly unkempt, and her eyes were drooping from her mental exertions in the dream the previous night, and her body did ache with fatigue, but she was good enough considering; The battle and healing had left her drained. She felt her stomach rumble deeply; She was hungry now too. Aleu also heard a similar sound from Night-shade, and she comforted the weak she wolf with the prospect of food back at the cave.

Aleu had not managed to finish healing Night-shade's injuries last night. Now, she would need Whisper's help in finishing the job.

Nagu, who had over heard this took it upon himself to make a kill for the two. While Aleu gladly rested, she spoke with Night-shade. Apparently Night-shade remembered some of the dream, and wanted to apologize formerly for her past behavior. Aleu was willing to accept her apologies gladly, and openly. They talked about how it was that Aleu had even gone into Night-shade's dreams in the first place; The dark wolf was a little awestruck that her leader had learned such a skill. Not even Nava was able to achieve such a feat.

It was not long before Drexel and Nagu returned with a pair of rabbits, which she and Night-shade consumed with gusto. It had hit the spot, and within minutes Aleu felt energized again, and was able to make the remainder of the journey with ease, though not without a little discomfort.

As she led the group through the cave opening, she was greeted with a chorus of happy howls greeting her return; the welcoming comity gasped, however, when they saw Night-shade arrive behind her. Aleu thought this would be a good time to make the announcement. She howled for silence and attention, and when all was silent she began, "My fellow wolves... Night-shade has returned! She is once again a valued member of this pack. She has repented for her attempt on our lives, and I have forgiven her. I want you all to find it within you to do the same." She dismissed them all, and as Aleu watched, Night-shade was greeted by some of her old friends as they welcomed her home.

Aleu noticed that Gale was sitting up a this point. Aleu remembered that Whisper had agreed to allow Gale to go back to her duties this day. However, Aleu could see Gale was still weakened by the disease. It was too bad she couldn't use her dream walking power just whenever she wanted. The dream world was never meant for someone with conscious thought to navigate, and thus could often be perilous; otherwise she would have used it to heal Gale long ago.

Aleu went over to her sick Beta and friend and greeted her. "I see you're feeling a little better. At least your able to sit up now." Gale replied, "Yeah; I've been feeling stronger lately. Any day now I should be able to return to my duties completely." Now Aleu replied, taking a seat beside Gale, looking out at the activities of the wolves. There were many pairs sitting down together, eating small snacks. Several wolves came and went from the cave while they watched. Aleu looked over to where Night-shade sat chatting with several friends. Aleu watched as they burst out laughing together at something Night-shade had said, though she couldn't make it out from where they sat. Whispering wind brought a wrapped package of herbs to Night-shade, who ate it without complaint, though her face made it clear that she disliked the flavor. Aleu felt a feeling of warmth and pride swell within her. 'This was her pack; and it was safe and happy.' Aleu couldn't ask for much more.

Feeling an itching question arise within her, Aleu turned to her friend and asked, "Has something changed about Nagu, Gale? We haven't really been talking much." Gale took on a shocked look, which was quickly replaced by amusement. She replied, "Funny; He asked the same about you just last night when he left to search for you." Aleu was now the one with a shocked look. Gale laughed to herself at Aleu's expression, and continued, "He is a loyal wolf Aleu. His duty to you is his highest priority; but, he also misses having regular conversations with you..." She paused now, and looked down. "So do I." Aleu's expression had since turned stern. She was hanging onto every word Gale uttered. She sighed, and replied, "I'm sorry. This winter has been crazy for me. I'm constantly on edge." Her ears perked up with a sudden realization. "But... Now we have Night-shade back. She'll be a wonderful asset. She's a skillful winter hunter as I recall." Gale's look betrayed nothing.

She started a new subject, saying, "That's a wonderful point Aleu; But, if you're not truly busy right now, why don't you take a moment to rest, and just talk with someone." Once again, Aleu found this bold statement by Gale a little pushy. She failed to fully suppress a light growl, her ears betraying a little irritation as she said, "You know I have to worry about the pack Gale. Resting and chatting aren't often an option." She took a moment, and let her anger settle. "Still, I guess you're right." She snorted to herself, and continued, "You usually are Gale." She lay down with her friend. "I'm sorry. I guess I have been avoiding you and Nagu and Nuk. I'll keep you're advice in mind from now on." Aleu suddenly had a question she had earlier wanted to ask. "I saw the other day that you and Nagu are closer than I would have thought, Gale." Gale's look of surprise returned. "Of course we're close Aleu. He's my brother."

Aleu openly gasped. "What? You mean you and Nagu have been siblings this entire time and never even bothered to..." She stopped while she was ahead, and laughed to herself. She knew she was on route to saying something even weirder sounding than what she'd already said. In fact, Gale laughed at Aleu's reaction. She replied, "Sorry Aleu. I didn't think it was important. If it's any consolation, he still wants to be your friend." She paused now, a look of intense sadness coming over her. "I've all he's got Aleu." She looked away, trying to repress a single tear, but Aleu caught it. She recalled the event which had cost Night-shade her own parents. She looked thoughtful. "I'm sorry Gale. I, uh... I can't know what it must be like, but you both still have us." She motioned to the pack around them as she said this. Gale nodded her thanks, her look of sadness somewhat abated. Aleu nudged Gale affectionately, and started toward where Nagu lay on the ledge, off to the side of her own bed, for he was her number two wolf.

Nagu nodded his greeting to his leader as Aleu jumped up beside him. She landed a little awkwardly, feeling that she still felt fatigue from her healing excursion in Night-shade's dream. She sat beside where he lay, and looked out over her pack. She sighed with a deep peace, though she felt anxious for some reason. She looked down to where Nagu lay. "Gale told me about how you and her are siblings Nagu. I'm so sorry I was never there for you before." He had not been looking at Aleu at first, but he now sat up, and looked her in the eye. She once again felt trapped by his gaze. "Gale and I weren't the only ones to lose our parents that night Aleu." He looked away, out toward the forest beyond the cave mouth. He continued. "It happened a long time ago, back when Gale, Night-shade and I were all pups, barely old enough to eat meat." He looked back at her now. "Thanks for your concern Aleu; Really; It means a lot, but I'm more concerned with the present." Aleu was slightly hurt by his rebuke, but she didn't press him. She could guess the memory was painful. "Alright Nagu. In that case, I want to talk about Night-shade." Nagu nodded thoughtfully.

He began, "I don't know what you saw while in her dream Aleu; Frankly, that's between you and her, and should never be shown to another. However, that said, only you could possibly know if she is trustworthy." Aleu felt blown away by his wisdom. 'Not even Nava had known how to use her ability.' Still, Nagu was right. She had seen Night-shade's soul, and it was good. "I trust her Nagu. I think one day she will become a valuable wolf to this pack." Nagu nodded his approval of her decision, before bidding her goodbye, for he had a patrol to lead.

Aleu watched him leave before going over to where Night-shade lay speaking with Whisper. Aleu sat before them. "Whispering-Wind." She nodded in greeting. "I haven't properly congratulated you on you success of healing Gale." Whisper thanked Aleu for her praise. She continued, "I would like to promote you Whisper. We need a trained healer like yourself in such a large pack, and I believe you would be all the more efficient if you were our honorary healer, and a Beta." Whisper's ears lay flat from shock at such wonderful news. For a moment, Aleu thought she wouldn't stop thanking her for the opportunity, and had to refrain from interrupting. 'After all, Whisper did deserve her promotion.' Night-shade also congratulated Whispering-Wind and, Aleu noticed, showed no obvious signs of jealousy.

Aleu asked Whisper to attend the ceremony later that night, and declared her a Beta. Before dismissing her, Aleu asked Whisper and Night-shade to attend a morning hunt the next day. It would be just the three of them, and Aleu wanted to ensure both were up to the tasks of their respective duties. Whispering-Wind would have to be able to defend her title as Beta, and Night-shade still had a damaged femur which would need to be tested before being put to use.

Whisper bade them good day, and went off to restock her herbs. Aleu turned to Night-shade. "I also want to ask you something Night-shade." Night-shade replied, "Oh? What is it mistress?" Aleu lay down beside her. "If something were to happen to Gale, I think I would want you to take her place as one of my advisers, and Beta." Night-shade was shocked. She hadn't expected to be received with such a high expectation, though she wasn't at all disappointed. "Oh... are, are you sure Alphess? I mean, I just got here." Aleu was slightly amused. She knew Night-shade's modesty was genuine. She said, "I'm very sure Night-shade. I've seen the real you, and I trust her. I'm sure you would make a fine Beta." Night-shade was still staring wide eyed. She truly didn't deserve such high praise and regard, especially from Aleu. 'Who was this special person, who could so easily forgive and forget; More than that, she had raised Night-shade up to a higher position than before, showing absolute trust.' She wanted to prove to Aleu now, more than ever, that she could be trusted. She told Aleu the same. Satisfied, Aleu thanked her for listening, and offered to help clean her fur. Night-shade was glad for the company.

Aleu and Night-shade went on like that until they had both finally had a proper cleaning. Aleu bade her goodbye, and went to check in on Nuk. According to the large wolf, a patrol he was leading earlier that day had come across three coyotes. They had chased them off, but Aleu cautioned him to ensure they didn't return for the next few patrols. Aleu was hardly concerned with a few coyotes. Hibernation day was two days away. Aleu felt she wouldn't be surprised to hear Nagu had fought one off by the end of the night. She stopped herself from thinking, "You mean if he fought it off." Such an event would be crippling not only for the pack, but also to her. She was growing fond of the unusually wise and strong willed wolf. Aleu believed she would not be able to function should he not return.

Aleu went to check one last time on Gale. She was willing to go on a patrol the next day. Aleu was not willing to crush her hopes, and simply advised her to take it easy while out there. Gale was borderline ecstatic. She was obviously bored to madness. Aleu was glad of this. Gale having her determined, up-beat attitude again was a definite improvement.

The sun had long since started setting, and its ruby light filtered through the snow and trees, and was pouring in through the entrance of the cave, bathing all that lay within in its blood red light. Aleu thought it was a very beautiful sight for the minute and a half it lasted for, before the incidence became too steep, and the sun gradually became duller, eventually setting below the next hill. Now, the entire area was in shadow as night approached.

Aleu watched from her ledge as wolves who were either out hunting, or were on patrol began trickling in. Although most had long since shared tongues with their friends, a few were still coming in and doing so. Aleu noticed even Yak and Sumac were bathing each other. Obviously it was going to be a cold night, and not even the Niju trio from her first meeting wanted to sleep alone tonight.

The last patrol to return was Nagu's group. As usual, he had gone extra miles, ensuring his assigned border was safe another day. Aleu watched as he lay instead with his sister, Gale. They were chatting up a storm while they cleaned one another's fur. Previously, when she didn't know of their blood relation, she would've felt jealous. Aleu couldn't hear what they were saying with all the other activity, but she guessed Gale was talking to Nagu about Aleu.

Nagu sat beside Gale. His sister gingerly cleaned around his right ear. He was looking up toward where Aleu lay, looking out over her pack. He wondered if she was even thinking of him. He wanted to ask Gale her opinion, but decided to keep the subject stagnant. Instead he asked, "So, I heard Aleu discovered that we're siblings today." Gale was preoccupied with Nagu's head fur, and simply made a muffled affirmation. She stopped cleaning long enough to say, "She had no idea before. I can hardly believe she only now stumbled onto the subject." Nagu's ears flicked at the word 'stumbled'. "What do you mean? Did she ask about our parents?" Gale replied, starting to get fussy about not concentrating on his fur, "Something like that. She said something about Night-shade and her dreams. I guess she made the connection of all our parents then." Nagu remembered the day vividly, though he was young when it had happened. Hunters had been after the pack for weeks, and had set-up ambushes all around the area. Many wolves had died that day. Nava had taken in the orphaned cubs, including himself and Gale. Gale finished his fur, saying, "I guess the subject never came up before then."

He and Gale continued talking until he had finished cleaning Gale's fur. Apparently, Gale thought he ought to seek Aleu's heart, not just her trust. He had turned down the idea, but they both knew perfectly well how he really cared for Aleu. Regardless of the subject, Nagu had an early morning patrol, before sun-up, and he would need his sleep. Thus, he wished Gale good night, and took his place adjacent to Aleu, and he settled in for the night. He thought Aleu was already fast asleep, but she wasn't. She had noticed the sadness in his step as he padded over to his bed. She thought to herself, "He must be hurting for some reason." She felt sorry for he friend, and so she decided, if he wouldn't come to her, she'd go to him. Little did she know, this was a decision that would affect her for the rest of her life. Still, for now, Nagu was surprised, and glad for the company. They both knew it would be especially cold that night, but they wouldn't mind, for tonight they had one another.

The next morning, Aleu awoke to find Nagu had already left for patrol. She had known he would be keeping the east borders that day. Aleu didn't mind. She'd likely run into him while on the hunt with Whispering-Wind and Night-shade. She went to find the two, but they had gone to tend their call to nature. Aleu knew healing herbs weren't the best thing in the world for the stomach, and so she occupied herself with Helping her subjects organize themselves. Many were glad for the help she noticed, though not for the first time. She also spoke to Nuk who stated he was sending a second patrol to investigate further coyote activity. Thus far, everything seemed stable. Now it was her turn to do a hunting patrol. No wolf had had any taste of fresh caribou for two days and she herself was feeling famished.

Whispering-Wind and Night-shade returned after a few short minutes and they were on their way. They crossed the gorge and continued eastward, still not finding any sign of caribou herds. After about an hour they had reached the border. They had smelled Nagu's team, for they had passed by minutes ago. Aleu was lightly disappointed for having only just missed him, but her self pity was interrupted by the smell of a large herd of large herbivores. She didn't recognize the scent, but the others did. It was the scent of a herd of Musk oxen. Aleu would have been reluctant to cross the border any other day, but for now, they still had nothing to show for their hunt, and Aleu could not find any sign of another predator's territory. Thus, they went across, into the plains of the east, carefully.

It did not take Aleu and her two followers long to find a small herd which had broken off of the main herd a mile off. The herd she now stalked was only three strong. There was a mother, an adolescent calf, and a bull. Aleu could still understand them, but their accent was thick, so she couldn't truly know what they were saying. She formed a plan. "Alright you two," she began, keeping to a whisper. "The bull is the most dangerous. Whisper, you can help me with him. Night-shade, you try to distract the mother. The last one we'll take is the calf. Got it?" They all agreed hers was the best plan available, and so they took up their positions.

At Aleu's signal, Night-shade sprang at the feet of the cow, before spring away to avoid her stamping feet. The bull had turned its attention, and Aleu gave Whisper the signal to make her move. Aleu noticed that Whisper actually had a perfect form. She sprang exactly at the right time, and landed exactly where and when she was supposed to. She sank her fangs into the hind leg of the bull, and Aleu immediately went for the throat as the bull reared in anger. Her fangs now cleaved the flesh of the bull. As she bit down, she felt the blood begin pouring into her mouth. She had to release the bull, before she drowned. She and Whisper jumped away watching as the bull struggled to stay on its feet. Aleu was glad she couldn't understand the bull as it cursed at her. She didn't get to watch for long, as she had let the cow get too close. She and Whisper narrowly escaped being trampled, and Aleu actually felt the large, sharp horns of the angry female as it clipped her rear foot. The pain of the impact shot through her, and she barely landed from her jump on her feet. She felt warm blood trickle down her leg. She looked back, and saw a small gash where she'd been hit. "Ahh... Shhheezzz that stings!" She hissed to herself. She watched as the bleeding stopped. It probably wouldn't be more than a scar by tomorrow if the past is a teacher. She dodged again as the angry cow charged her a second time. This time however, she was prepared, and she dodged, she used her momentum to jump off a nearby boulder, and catapult herself onto the cow's back. She landed, and stayed just long enough to land a hard bite into the neck of the enormous creature. She hit bone with her teeth, and the animal beneath her bellowed in rage and pain. Aleu jumped off before she could be thrown off. They fought like that on and off. Even Night-shade managed to land two bites onto the cow's shoulder.

After about two minutes, the battle ended with the cow finally succumbing to exhaustion and blood loss. The field was practically watered with blood, and Aleu felt sorry she had made the mother ox suffer at their claws and teeth for nearly three whole minutes. Her emotions aside, however, Aleu stood atop her latest kill, and claimed the first food, according to the order of things. Whispering-Wind and Night-shade also took their turns. It had started to snow, so it wasn't truly necessary for them to bury their kills. Aleu had noticed by now that the calf was certainly nowhere to be seen, and so she and her team headed back home. Night-shade had volunteered to direct all the other wolves to the location of the kill. Aleu suggested that she take a patrol back to guard the kill while the other wolves came for their share; after all, it wasn't currently on their territory.

Once the trio had arrived back, Aleu surprised everyone, including her two group members by announcing the promotion of not only Whispering-Wind, but also Night-shade. Night-shade had already been told she would be replacing Gale in the case of a tragedy, but she'd never expected to be promoted after only one successful hunt. Truly Aleu knew something about her, for not even she still trusted herself with power. She didn't have long to mull over it, before Aleu reminded her of her duty to the clan. Thus, Night-shade immediately assumed her role, and assembled a guard of volunteers, including Nagu, to help bring the kills into their borders. Aleu was satisfied with how Night-shade had handled the situation. It was almost sun-high by now, so before she left, Aleu asked Night-shade to meet her and Whispering-Wind by the lake. She had a plan for Whisper which involved her new, and official role as the healer; It was actually Anyu's idea. Aleu sometimes spoke with her in dreams, and sometimes sent messages to her. Often, she would meet a raven who would turn out to be Anyu. Apparently, she liked to spy on her granddaughter. There was another issue Aleu had to take care of before she could proceed with her special naming ceremony however; She needed to convince Elandra to be present a well.

It had been almost a week since Aleu had seen the fox, though she was sure Whispering-Wind had seen her recently. She only knew two ways to find Elandra. She chose therefore to go to the lake itself.

When she'd arrived, she found the location of the den she and Nagu had stayed in once. She was amazed that it was still in almost the same condition that she'd last seen it in. Aleu made a few fine adjustments to its structure, and sat down in front of the den, facing toward the frozen lake. She closed her eyes, and relaxed her body and mind.

As Aleu emptied her mind, she found she could almost reach out, and touch the souls of the the creatures of the forest near her, another one of her attributes as being a decedent of Anyu. She pictured her spirit guide, Muru in her mind. She called his name, and asked him to speak with her. She opened her eyes, and there, before her, a cyclone of snow formed, and Muru materialized from within it.

"Well hello Aleu. It's nice that you have summoned me again. I enjoy our little talks." Aleu was honestly glad to see Muru too. "It's great to see you too Muru." She licked him affectionately, noting his ethereal texture, yet his strangely physical reaction. He continued, "Now then, I see our friend Whispering-Wind has finally come to realize her potential has she." Aleu nodded happily. "Yes she has. I wanted to pass on some of Anyu's power onto her, so she can be even better of a healer. I was hoping you, Anyu, and Elandra would be here to witness, and advise the ceremony." Muru responded gleefully. "Oh! How exciting. Of course Anyu already knows as you can see." Aleu heard a raven caw from where Muru was pointing. She smiled, and looked. There was a raven watching them. She nodded to the bird, knowing it was really Anyu. She looked back at Muru as he continued. "I'd be happy to inform Elandra for you. I'm sure she'd be delighted to serve as your watcher. Also, might I just say it was wise of you to choose to spare your new friend Night-shade, Aleu. I can promise you, it will be beneficial to your pack." Muru turned away, and began to blow away with the wind. Aleu didn't catch the look of sadness that he had allowed to cross his face.

Aleu waited for several minutes. She eventually heard a rustling in the forest beside her. Elandra stepped out into the clearing, and walked over to Aleu. She greeted the fox, saying, "Hello Elandra. Did Muru inform you as to the reason I have sent for you today." Elandra responded coolly, though with a hint of joy. She said, "Yes Aleu. Muru told me of Whispering-Wind's promotion. I would be delighted to observe the ceremony and advise you in the dream world. As I understand it, you've even done a similar process at least one other time?" Aleu wasn't surprised the wise fox had found out about her venture into Night-shade's soul. She told the fox just that. Aleu thanked Elandra for her willingness to participate, and then they waited.

After a few minutes, Whispering-Wind and Night-shade stepped into the clearing, and looked around for Aleu. When they located her, they quickly joined her by the den. At first, Night-shade was unsure of who the fox was, or why there was a raven watching them. Aleu explained that the raven was both Anyu, and her grandmother. "YOU'RE related to ANYU!?" Night-shade was incredulous, but Aleu had no time to fool with her over it, so she remained strictly matter-of-fact. Whisper had no trouble speaking with Elandra, for she had a gift of befriending other creatures, much like Aleu. Night-shade however, was unsurprisingly confused as to why Aleu and Whisper were both speaking with a fox. She also kept glancing back at the raven, which had adopted a humorous way of cawing at Night-shade every time she'd turned to look.

When Elandra, Whisper, and Aleu were about ready to start, they each took up a position. Whisper would be laying in the middle. She would remain awake until Elandra bit her ear, and Aleu bit her foreleg, simultaneously. Aleu made sure she was aware it was going to hurt; a lot.

They were about ready to start, so Night-shade took up a guard at the entrance. Whispering-Wind was clearly anxious, but then, so too was Aleu. Elandra was the only one truly calm. She had a final warning for the two she wolves. She said, "Remember you two. You will be bonded eternally in sisterhood. Aleu; You are already one with Night-shade. If you do this however, you must take care not to allow one another to influence the other unintentionally." She then ordered Aleu to begin the ceremony.

Aleu closed her eyes, took a slow breath, thought of her grandmother, Anyu; she re-opened her eyes. They had taken on the bright, translucent glow about the irises again. Whisper jumped in surprise, but Elandra quickly calmed her. She hadn't imagined Aleu could do that. This was just the start however; Now, Aleu began to speak with a poly-tone voice, as if both she and Anyu were speaking at once. She said to Whisper, "Whispering-Wind; You have proven that you have the capacity, will, and personality potential to fulfill a great destiny for you clan." Whisper stared at the icy, glowing eyes of Aleu, mesmerized. Aleu continued, "We have chosen that you would be able to serve you clan and your destiny with the aid of our power. Should you accept, you will be like the spirit walkers." Whisper glanced at Elandra, who nodded her support. She returned her vision to Aleu, who then prompted, "Are you ready Whispering-Wind?" She replied simply, but with Confidence: "I am." Aleu nodded, then said, "Then let us proceed." Aleu's eyes now took on a glow which engulfed them entirely. Whisper glanced back to Elandra, whose eyes were glowing green. She took a deep breath, and held on.

Aleu and Elandra bit into their respective areas, and Whisper was instantly thrown into a whole new world of pain. The pain from Aleu's bite shot through her body, while Elandra's bite caused her to start blacking out. She could sense nothing, as a lifetime of Aleu's and Elandra's own memories, and those of their ancestors mixed with her own. She felt her body spasm, and Aleu and Elandra released her, but it didn't matter. All three were cast into the black void of dreamless coma.

When Whisper awoke, she knew immediately she wasn't awake at all. She had been here many times before, she could feel it. She sniffed the air, and smelled the sweet aroma of her mother's den. She looked around, but saw not a soul. Elandra called Whisper, though she couldn't quite pin-point where from. Just then, Whisper heard another sound, and smelled another scent. It was a sulfurous smell, accompanied by the howling of hounds. Suddenly, Whisper was in a dark forest of dense, scratching branches and thorns. There was a path, and either end was filled with darkness. Suddenly, the smell of sulfur, and man came from the tunnel to her right. She heard the dogs coming closer. Then, the red eyes of a hunter gleamed forth from the shadows, and a Whisper felt a gunshot, and felt a sharp pain pierce her shoulder. She ran through the other tunnel, and then darkness came again.

Meanwhile, Aleu had awoken in a familiar setting. She recognized the place as her father's boat. Suddenly, she heard a guttural sound from behind. It wasn't the sound of any creature she knew. She jumped around to face the strange creature, and there hovered a shadow creature. The red eyes glared, and it roared resoundingly. Aleu felt a terrible urge to destroy it in it's entirety. Aleu didn't even waste time growling; she simply pounced and caught it beneath it's eyes, upon what felt like a throat. She bit down hard, harder than anything she'd ever bitten. She felt something give beneath her. Aleu opened her eyes, and there was Balto, her father, between her teeth.

Aleu gasped, and dropped her father. "Papa!?" She felt flesh between her teeth, and blood trickle from her mouth. Balto landed with a sick thud. He looked around to Aleu with barely open eyes. He said between bubbling, shallow gasps, "Wh... Why Aleu?" Another voice sounded in front of her. "Aleu!? What are you doing here? Wha... What have you done!?" Aleu looked up to see her mother, Jenna. "Mama!? Mom, I... I, I swear; I didn't mean; I thought..." Jenna interrupted her, "You're a monster Aleu!... You're a monster!" Jenna ran off before Aleu could say anything, but Aleu followed her through the door. However, when she passed through the bright light, she looked squinting into the forest. There she saw Nagu. Aleu felt sick at what she'd just seen moments ago. She tried to hail Nagu, but he walked around a curve. Aleu called him again, following close behind. When she was about to reach the curve, the familiar voice of Night-shade called to her. She shook her head, forgetting this was a dream. When she turned the corner, what she saw actually made her sick. Her entire pack lay in a stack of corpses, with Nagu's skin strung up on a tanning board. Nagu was still alive, though skinless, and bleeding. "Aleu... help... us..." he pleaded. She heard the voice of Night-shade again, this time more distant. She called, "Aleu. It's your fears. Come back Aleu. Come back." She realized what was happening. It was a dream, and her soul was still too dark. She took a stance before the murder scene before her. A shadowy hunter form appeared before her, and pointed a rifle at her. Aleu knew she couldn't flinch. The hunter fired, and Aleu roared. She felt a sharp pain pierce her heart, but she knew better than to allow it to stop her. She forced her self onward, drawing closer to the hunter. The shadow fired a gain, this time hitting her leg. Aleu felt a bone break. She felt the pain as it hobbled her. Now she knew it was hurting her physical body, for she felt strength ebbing from an invisible source, she guessed was her real body. She had to hurry. Now she was two meters, and a shadow-like bear trap appeared, and bit her entire foot off. This would have made Aleu stop, but the sight of a missing foot was just a little ridiculous. She felt no pain; he strength returned. She stood before the hunter, and screamed, "I am not a monster! And I will not let my pack die to hunters!" She roared again, and the hunter was torn open into an abyssal portal to an unknown place. She tried to step through it, but could not push more than a single paw through it.

Now Aleu was just curious, but that would have to wait; Before her, on the other side of the portal, was a frightened, injured she wolf. Aleu gasped in realization. She was looking into the soul of Whispering-Wind. She called out, but winced, as she felt the dream world start to collapse around her. She noticed that the disturbance happened at the same time Whisper had collapsed. Aleu looked closer, and saw that she'd been injured. She could hear Whisper weeping. She cried out for her parents.

Aleu recalled her vow. She took a step back, closed her eyes, and pulled forth strength from a torrent she had felt before. It was her grandmother's spirit, residing in her, along with her own soul. She opened her eyes, and released the most powerful howl she thought she would ever muster. Aleu poured all her determination, and her faith in herself and her pack into it. It was so great, she felt it hurt her actual throat, and it shook the dream world. The portal exploded with a black flame which engulfed everything in a flash of brightly colored black light. She closed her eyes until the flash had passed.

When she re-opened her eyes, she found she was in an infinite white room, with Whispering-Wind laying upon the ground before her. Whispering-Wind, however, saw it as an everlasting blackness. She continued to weep. She felt as though there was nothing in the universe except for weeping uncontrollably.

Aleu stood over her, and called her name gently, nudging her cheek. Whisper looked up, and saw the face of Aleu, shining like the sun in her world of blackness. It was kind, hopeful, and determined. She wanted nothing less that to catch it and never let it go. Whisper stood, and ran after the light as it moved farther from her. She called out for Aleu to wait for her.

Aleu, however, stood before her friend. Whisper had only been able to look at Aleu, her eyes empty, and fatigued. She collapsed her head to the ground, now whimpering rather than weeping. She called for Aleu.

Aleu responded, still moving away, "I'm here for you Whisper." Ironically, the voice was becoming a whisper, and the light of Aleu's face a mere speck in the distance.

Aleu looked to Whisper's chest, and saw a bullet hole which matched what the shadow hunter had previously inflicted upon her. She heard the voice of Muru, Anyu, Elandra, and Night-shade within her mind, all speaking simultaneously the same phrase: "Save...her...soul." Aleu knew what she had to do.

She lay before her injured friend, concentrated, and tried to channel all her strength into a single healing touch. She opened her eyes, revealing the glow of Anyu, and as she touched her nose to Whisper's injury, she spoke.

What Whispering-Wind was experiencing was different. As the voice and the light became more distant, she felt weaker, and slower. Her injured heart bled, literally, and it bled of sorrow. She felt so alone. Then, she heard Elandra. She said, "You are not alone Whisper." A flicker of hope and strength appeared within her. She put it out by replying, "Yes I am. My parents are gone; I have no one." She heard her own voice; it was an echo, a memory. She heard it, then she saw it before her. She saw Aleu, Elandra, as she spoke something incoherent. She didn't care though, for the fox was smiling. Whisper saw Gale. She too spoke with a smile. Whisper saw Nagu come into the scene. He was Gale's brother. They had both lost their family and yet they smiled to one another.

Finally, Whisper felt something, like a burning pain in her chest. It was a good pain; the one that makes you weep with joy. She heard Aleu speak, saying, "You do not have to be alone anymore Whispering-Wind." Aleu's smiling, bright face appeared again. She continued, "Because, we are your family now." Aleu was the one to explode now, and Whisper too found herself in the chamber of white. She looked up, and what she saw made her smile. There was Aleu, and behind her was everyone she'd ever loved. She realized, they lived on in her, and in her pack.

Aleu reached out with her paw, and said, "Don't leave us Whisper... Because I will not leave you." Whisper touched her paw to Aleu, and another flash erupted.

Whisper awoke with a start. She felt stiff, and her paw and ear hurt terribly. She noticed several small incisions in her leg, and remembered that it was where Aleu had bitten her. Then, Aleu awoke beside her, though much more calmly. She sniffed Aleu, and confirmed everything was normal. She looked to the side, where Elandra had lain, but found only her imprint. Elandra was nowhere to be found. Somehow, neither Aleu and nor Whisper were surprised to find she had vanished. Night-shade, however, could only sigh, and say, "I'm not sure about any of what happened, but judging from what happened to me, I'm not sure I even want to know." Whisper and Aleu glanced to one another, and decided Night-shade was right. It was for them alone to know, and share. All three wound up laughing, and chatting all the way back to the den. When they arrived, Whisper was no longer just a Beta. She was the healer, and a spirit walker. She was Nava's Daughter.


	8. Chapter 8: A Cold Winter

It had been past sun-high when Aleu and Whispering-Wind had awoken from the dream walking session. Now, they were headed back to the cave. Aleu wanted to announce to the pack that Whispering-Wind was the official pack healer. What Whisper said was equally important as what Aleu said.

When they arrived back, Aleu made the announcement to the assembled wolves. Everyone was glad to hear they had someone as talented as Nava among them. Better yet, she was his Daughter. While this uproar happened, Aleu noticed that Nagu and Gale were sitting beside one another. They were chatting each other. Aleu couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could read their lips a little bit, and so she could tell it had to do with her, Nava, and Whispering-Wind. Aleu thought this was interesting, and made a note to check in on them about it later.

For now, she debriefed Nuk about his patrol to see if the coyotes had returned. After everything had died down, and it was the time of day when the sun was almost ready to set, Aleu came back from doing her business. She glanced at wolves in the cave, and noticed that she was, for the first time, the final wolf to come inside. All the eyes turned to her. She glanced around, observing her pack. When her eyes met Night-shade's, they both winced as Aleu felt a sudden, painful memory flash before her eyes. It was one of Night-shade's. She recalled that Elandra had stated that dream walking came with a hefty price. She now felt it's weight in the form of sharing a lot of one another's memories, though mostly just the most horrific ones.

She tried an experiment now; Aleu locked eyes with Whispering-Wind, and found a grimacingly painful image of Whisper's parents became burned into her eyes. She let out a small whimper at the pain. Whisper only winced, and she stared wide eyed at Aleu, betraying an intense, sad, pity. Aleu knew what part of her memories Whisper had just seen; it was of her terrors during the dream walking. Now she walked up to Gale and Nagu. Looking away from Nagu, she summoned forth the power of Anyu. Her eyes took on the icy blue glow again, and she looked into Nagu's eyes. Nagu let out a small gasp at Aleu's power pushing at his mind, but he'd seen a similar process with Nava. He locked eyes with Aleu, and the fire burning within her was extinguished, almost as if his own soul was beyond impenetrable. "I'm sorry mistress, but my memories should be my own." With that, he turned, and walked out of the cave. Gale, who had watched him go, turned a steely look onto Aleu. "Aleu, you are playing a dangerous game. Don't delve where you're not wanted. It's dangerous for you, and dangerous for others." Her wisdom stung Aleu, but she was occupied by the short flash she witnessed as Gale passed her.

It was a bright sunny day during late spring. Gale was out with her brother, Nagu. They were both pups. The scene was too rough to see much detail, but Aleu heard laughter, and felt happiness emanating from the memory. Then, the scene switched, and it was dark. Gale coughed with the thick stench of smoke as the forest burned around them. She called out for her mother, Leana.

Leana had plucked her pup before she'd had a burning branch fall on her. Then, she'd jumped a wall of flame, and hid Gale with Nagu in a stone crag. She whispered for them to stay hidden until someone came for them. She'd disappeared after that. Then, Aleu heard a gunshot, and dogs barking, and Leana screaming in pain. The world began spinning, and spiraling as she Heard Night-shade calling out her name.

She'd opened her eyes, and found herself back in the cave. Night-shade and Nuk were watching her concerned. She'd somehow managed to get up on her ledge. "My lady, are you all right? You look like you've seen Anyu." Nuk was joking of course. He still had little knowledge of the extent of Aleu's power. Night-shade, however, looked more serious. She jumped up, and lay beside her friend. "Aleu, what did you see?" She asked gently. Nuk looked confused, but Night-shade motioned for his dismissal. Aleu was still panting, and she felt cold and week. 'pant, pant' "Shade?", 'pant' "What caused the fire?" She looked into Night-shade's shocked eyes, and they turned steely as she watched. Night-shade was remembering now. She looked to Aleu, and nodded. Aleu was a little hesitant now, but she needed to know. She pulled forth her abilities, and walked with Night-shade through her dreams.

This time was much smoother, and easier. She and Aleu were already bonded by a dream session. Their souls had touched each other, and now they were part of one another.

Aleu opened her eyes; She was in a cave, surrounded by wolves. Some of them, such as Aga, were familiar, but many of them Aleu had never seen. Night-shade came up behind her. "These are the wolves of Nava's pack." She said. "I didn't really get to know all of them, but I did know my own parents." She motioned toward a pair of wolves approaching. They passed through Aleu and Shade like they were smoke. Aleu couldn't help but quiver a little at the sensation. Shade urged her to follow. As she left the caves, the scene changed.

Now they were in the forest. Before her, Night-shade, Nagu, and Gale were all playing together in a pile of autumn leaves; They were all pups. Suddenly, Aleu heard the 'pop' of gunshots in the distance. Whispering-Wind arrived; she was a little more mature. She told the young pups that the sound was coming from hunters, and they needed to get home as quickly as possible. Gale was the youngest, so Whispering-Wind carried her, though she wasn't exactly a lot larger than Gale.

Aleu followed them, but as she did so, Shade spoke from nowhere. She said, "We didn't understand what was happening. In a single moment, Whisper's news shattered our entire world." The landscape began warping around her, and Aleu smelled smoke.

She blinked, and found herself at the top of a ravine near Nava's caves. She was overlooking a scene of horror. Wolves were scrambling to get their pups out of the caves before the hunters arrived. Aleu looked around, and saw a bush fire in the distance. She heard men calling and yelling from nearby. It was a tactic of using fires to scare the wolves in a certain direction. Now, Aleu watched as the group of pups emerged from the forest. The parents intercepted them, thanked Whispering-Wind, and took them away. Aleu heard Shade speak again. "My parents came and found me, just like all the others. We weren't the only pups, but Nagu, Gale, and I, we would become the orphaned ones." The scene changed as she followed Night-shade carried by her mother.

It was the same scene she'd seen while under the pine with Shade. This time, however, she had no perception of her own memory. The brightly colored meadow was filled with death. She saw fires were spreading now, and the meadow had began burning. A burning tree fell, and blocked the path of Shade's parents, while the sounds of hunters were very near. Aleu held her breath, for she knew how this ended.

She was spared by Night-shade; Instead of the death scene, she found herself standing in the infinite white of the room she had discovered with Whispering-Wind. Night-shade appeared before her. "You know what happened next Aleu... First my father. Then my mother. Marigold arrived just in time to see them go; a little past the felled tree actually." Aleu could only stare, for she had no words. "The hunters started the fires Aleu. Then, they chased us from our home, and killed many of our pack. Our parents were such victims. Nava took us in after that." Now Aleu had questions. "Nava took you!? All of you!?" "Yes Aleu. Marigold looked after me like a mother, but Nava took Nagu and Gale. They were his grand kids after all." Aleu was almost dumbstruck. The life of her pack had a history riddled with sorrows and death.

Aleu told Night-shade it was time to go back. She stopped the flow of power, and there was a flash of white. She awoke, blinking, to find herself in the cave again. She looked around, and found Nuk still walking away. "Thank goodness." She thought, for only a few seconds had passed.

Aleu could scarcely believe it. Night-shade, Whispering-Wind, Gale and Nagu, they were all connected. The real question was why;why were they all orphaned? Why did the humans seek the annihilation of Nava's pack? Humans didn't just go and attack wolves in one fell swoop unless they had been provoked. So... what provoked them. Her thoughts were cut short when she heard the familiar sound of squabbling wolves just beyond the cave opening. She sighed, "I'd better take care of this before someone gets hurt." She exited the cave.

Aleu didn't need long to find the source of the disturbance. A group was forming around the two wolves. Aleu recognized Nuk and Naynack. For a moment, Aleu only watched. She couldn't interfere if it were a fight of dominance. However, she came up behind the wolves, and they parted for her, becoming silent as she passed. Obviously they knew they weren't supposed to be there, so Aleu began to believe this wasn't a normal battle. She passed through the final few wolves, and now the battle was before her. Nuk and Naynack were wrestling on the ground. She watched as Naynack broke free, and whirled around in time to catch Nuk by the tail. Nuk groaned in pain, and reached back, and bit Naynack on the scruff.

Aleu had had enough of this. She stepped in front of Nuk, stopping him cold before he could throw Naynack. He gulped, and dropped the smaller wolf, who landed with a thud before Aleu's feet. She growled at the cowering wolf, but then looked back up at Nuk. "What is the meaning of this Nuk? Explain; Now!" Her eyes burned into the top of his head, as he also cowered before her. They knew better than to try to challenge Aleu. "Sorry mistress. We had a bit of a misunderstanding." Her stern expression hadn't changed. "What kind of misunderstanding?" She asked. Nuk replied, "Well mistress, I had this rabbit, and...". She stopped him there, and growled at the smaller wolf, Naynack. "Naynack! You know better than to steal another's food. You're lucky I was here to stop Nuk from tearing you limb from limb! It's his right you know." She looked up to the onlookers, and shooed them away, saying, "Everyone else, I'm sure you have better things to do. There's nothing more to see here. Leave, now!" They dispersed, and she gave Nuk a hard look of warning as he growled at Naynack beside him. "Nuk, the last thing I need is another injured wolf. I know it would normally be your right as Beta to punish him, but this time, I need you to let it go. For me, and for the pack." She whipped her teeth by Naynack's head in a final warning before turning, and walking away, before they could respond. She expected she'd not have anymore trouble from those two again that day. That aside, she couldn't help think about the problem still. Prey was getting scarce again. The hunt with the musk oxen had been almost two days ago. It was high time she set out on another hunt.

Aleu had found Gale in the den, speaking with Aga. She still seemed hoarse from her illness, but at least she was functioning.

Aleu went up to her, and they planned the hunt to occur the next day. This time, Aleu planned to take Nuk, Nagu, and Night-shade with her to hunt musk ox beyond their east border. She was even considering that maybe they ought to expand their border for the winter, so they weren't at as much risk when leaving it for the Oxen.

With the hunt planned out, she decided to have a chat with Gale. After all, she had nothing better to do at the moment. And so they talked. They talked about the prey, and the weather; They talked a lot about how Nagu seemed more distant lately. Apparently, Aleu had upset him when she'd attempted to delve into his memories. Not even she knew all of what was hidden there. It was a matter for him and Nava. This, of course only made Aleu curious. Unfortunately, she couldn't talk to Nagu about it, for he had stormed out, and since gone hunting. She made a note to make up with him later that night. The last thing she wanted was for her and Nagu to become bitter with one another.

Aleu had nothing more to do. Whisper was occupied with patients, and Gale had gone on patrol. Nuk was nowhere to be found after the fight she'd broken up... It seemed she was alone today. She decided to go visit the lake. She often went there to be alone, and just think. Today, however, the skies were darker than she'd expected. She thought a storm may be brewing. She might not be able to stay at the lake for too long, or she'd be snowed in. Still, she was hoping she'd be able to speak to Muru about all her discoveries lately.

When she arrived, she breathed in the familiar beauty of the frozen lake. It didn't seem dead, and frozen, but rather, serene, as if it were only asleep. She decided she'd go for a walk around the circumference of the lake. She didn't realize, however, that she was being watched.

At one point, she stopped, having heard something in the forest, which had barely caught her attention. 'It might have just been a falling stick.', She told herself. The forest creaked around her. She felt a shiver run down her spine. The forest itself seemed to be hiding something. She didn't let it bother her much though, and she resumed her pacing. She'd gone on like that for a few minutes now, trying to make sense of the situation, and trying to contact Muru. However, for reasons she couldn't imagine, Muru simply wouldn't come to her. Not him, not his voice, Not even Anyu showed up as a raven today. She once had the feeling that something was up; something was wrong. She heard a twig snap in the woods beside her, and could've sworn she'd heard something breathing for a moment. However, the wind came up, and the forest began creaking again. She was upwind of the tree line, so she smelled nothing out of the ordinary. She continued her pace around the lake. She thought to herself, "Why did all this happen? Why would humans attack Nava's pack?" Aleu didn't get very far with her thoughts, as she once again was interrupted by the sound of something moving, just beyond her vision, past the tree line. The wind was still blowing, and it made an eerie groaning sound as it whistled threw the forest around her. She carefully scanned the forest, and jumped in surprise, when she saw a pair of yellow eyes appear through the darkness. She blinked, and they had gone. She dismissed it as her imagination, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't safe here.

Aleu decided she had better leave. She had completed a lap, and was about where she started, at her and Nagu's den. She turned to leave, but paused. Now she was certain something was watching her. She reached out with her senses. It was large, fluffy, and... behind her.

She jumped and whirled around in time to see a grizzly, silhouetted against the white snow, rise up from its hiding spot beneath a hollowed tree stump. She gaped as it stood on it's hind legs. It was enormous. When the bear reached it's full height, it roared, and Aleu flinched as a memory flooded her vision. It was the same face as the bear which stood before her. It was the one-eyed face of a killer. She felt that the memory was from Nagu, and she saw it. It was the bear that had been on Nava's territory before she had come. His name was Sukko.

Aleu came back to reality in time to see the bear begin to make a move to attack. She narrowly dodged an enormous paw as it crashed down where she had just been standing. Aleu landed, and looked back, only to see a long-clawed paw bash her face. She landed with a heavy thud, feet away, and gasping for breath. She felt the wind leave her lungs. She sat gasping for breath. "This one's too smart!" She thought to herself, struggling to her feet. She felt teeth meet in her scruff, and she was flung into the air, against a boulder. A sharp pain broke in her chest as she heard something crack. As she landed, her right foreleg couldn't support her weight for, it was broken, along with at least one rib. She gasped with the pain as she landed, and saw stars. Aleu could barely remain standing. She looked up and saw the bear swipe again. Aleu felt very little this time, as she was quickly going numb. She landed on the hard ice, and slid for a ways. She opened her eyes and saw a trail of blood had followed her. "This is it, isn't it?" Aleu could feel it. It was her time now; yet, she was at peace. Nagu would take her place, and the pack would survive. 'But wait, she was on ice. Maybe it would be weak enough that the bear would fall in?' But no, the lake wasn't deep enough. Aleu watch the bear lumber toward her broken body. The ice didn't even crack of shift, it was too thick. She prepared to meet Anyu, her only regret was that she'd never even said goodbye to her mother, and now would never see her until whatever lay beyond this life.

Now Sukko was almost upon her. Aleu felt his hot breath upon her face. The bear roared, and reared itself again, ready to make the final blow. Aleu braced herself, ready to die.

Sukko began his downward swipe, and time seemed to slow. Aleu watched as the bear came close, and almost missed Gale's battle cry.

"Gale?" She thought to herself. She wasn't imagining it. Gale leaped onto the bear's leg, biting his shoulder. Sukko stumbled, and landed his blow, missing Aleu by inches. Gale released the bear, and goaded him onward, away from Aleu. She called behind her to Aleu, "Get up Aleu. I'll need your help." Aleu hadn't yet registered that she was still alive. However, she watched as Gale was flung from the grizzly's back, against a tree, snapping something, and making her cry out.

Gale's cry of pain struck something in Aleu. Now Aleu was angered, albeit dizzy. This bear, no, this monster, had lured humans to destroy Nava's pack, and now was hurting her friends. Aleu's eyes began to glow, this time with an inner fury. "No more; Not this time." She struggled to her paws, and stood. She saw the bear lumbering toward Gale. It was her chance. Aleu felt within herself, and drew upon the spirit of Anyu, as she'd done before. She felt the broken rib, and her leg set. The pain was incredible, but then so was the following relief. She felt stronger as her cuts stopped bleeding, and her vision cleared. The bear was almost to Gale. Aleu drew herself up, took a breath, and howled at the bear, while also calling her pack.

Hearing Aleu's call, Gale looked up to see the bear turn away from her, and begin running toward Aleu. Gale whispered, "Sorry Aleu, but I'm through."

The bear was coming toward Aleu again, but she was ready this time. She wouldn't let the bear destroy her pack; Not this time. She ran for the bear, her strength almost fully returned. She dodged another swipe, and bit into it's leg, and pulled. The bear lost it's balance, and fell onto the ice. The ice had since been weakened, and now it cracked under the impact. The bear broke through, and began to sink.

As Aleu watched, however, her fear became true; The lake was not very deep at that point, and the bear was able to keep its head above the water. She watched in horror as it roared in fury, and she understood it was cursing at her, though her thoughts were too clouded to understand what he said. Aleu took the time while Sukko was pulling himself out to run to a better location.

Sukko now was above the ice, and running toward her. She was poised for another attack however, and readied herself, for she had the high ground. The bear had almost reached her, when she heard a miracle: the sound of her pack, running to her aid. She heard them all; Nuk, Nagu, Night-shade; Even Whisper's howl was heard. Sukko was smart enough to realize he hadn't a chance against a whole pack. With a final roar of anger, he turned and fled north.

Aleu allowed herself to relax, and she ran to Gale's side just as her pack emerged from the tree line behind her. Aleu could tell Gale was hurt badly. She nudged Gale's face with her muzzle, and spoke softly. "Gale, it's O.K. The bear is gone. We did it." Gale's breathing was shallow, and ragged. Aleu jumped slightly when she began coughing blood. Gale said, in almost a whisper, "I'm you're safe Aleu." Aleu could see where this was going, but she refused to let it go there. Her voice starting to have a hint of pleading, she said, "Listen Gale, Whisper's here now. We'll get you patched up." As she said it, Whispering-Wind ran up beside them, and began examining the broken she wolf. She paused, and nudged Gale's rib gently. There was a sickening crack, and her ribs moved unnaturally. Whisper looked to Aleu with a desperate, though stern look, and slowly shook her head. Now Aleu looked desperate, and she spoke again, her voice cracking now. "Please Gale, please! Don... Don't do this... We need you. I need you!" Gale's breathing was becoming shallower, and she coughed additional flecks of blood onto the snow. She replied, in a raspy voice that bubbled slightly, "Sorry Aleu." she paused, and grimaced at a shock of pain which made her grimace. Then she continued, "I'm done. It... It's my time now." Nagu was present now, and he began wailing. He spoke whispers to Gale as Aleu walked away. She was willing to give Nagu time to say good bye. As she walked, she barely noticed all the assembled wolves as they stared at her or the two wolves on the ground. She walked over to where she had first seen the bear. She noticed her own blood had been sprayed upon the ground in several places. She asked herself, "Why was it Gale instead of me?" It hit her then, that maybe she could do for Gale what she'd done for Night-shade.

Hurriedly, she ran over to where Gale lay with Nagu. Her emotions were running too high to properly activate her power, but she didn't care. She made her eyes glow, and she prepared to take a dream walk with Gale. She hardly paused to ask Nagu to step aside a little to allow her enough space. She took a moment to collect herself, and bit down onto Gale's scruff.

Once again, Aleu was plunged into the darkness of coma before she awoke in the dream world. She opened her eyes, but instead of seeing anything, there was still only darkness. She heard several whispering voices, and something like someone calling her name from far away. She called out, saying, "H... Hello? Gale? Are you there?" Gale did appear then, however she was not as Aleu would have imagined she'd look.

Rather, Gale was glowing with a iridescent halo of bright white light. She spoke with a voice smoother than Aleu had ever heard her speak with. She began, "I'm here Aleu. However, you really shouldn't be." Aleu began to reply with a "But...", but Gale stopped her. She continued, "I told you Aleu, it's my time. You must let me go. It isn't safe for you here." Aleu was on the verge of tears. She replied, "I've already lost someone Gale. I don't want to lose you too." Gale came over to where Aleu stood, and nuzzled her cheek, saying, "Don't grieve for me too much Aleu. I'm sure you'll see me again. As for me, it's time I joined my family." Four wolves Materialized with the same look of a halo about them. She recognized two as Gale's parents. They nodded their thanks to Aleu, as though thanking her for taking care of their daughter. Honestly though, Aleu felt Gale had helped take care of her more.

The other two she guessed were Gale's other siblings. Gale began again, "I'm home now Aleu. Don't be sad for me, please. And tell Nagu goodbye for me." With that, all five haloed wolves slowly faded. Aleu caught Gale say one thing: "Goodbye Aleu." Gale was dead.

Aleu detected a new presence behind her. She turned to see Anyu, as white as ever, but with her own halo. She had a look of great sorrow upon her face. Aleu, by contrast, displayed great irritation. "Why didn't you tell me?" Anyu's sadness was replaced by a matter of fact look. "It is not our place to tell one or another when or where they will meet their ultimate destiny Aleu; as I have said before." Aleu barely managed to control herself. She knew the ancient white wolf spoke truly. She turned away, no longer repressing a stream of her tears. They fell uninterrupted for many seconds. Before long however, Anyu interrupted her, saying, "Your friend is gone Aleu, but you are still here. You must return soon, for Gale's soul is gone." Aleu was sitting now. Her breath was coming in sobs. She paused long enough to nod. She let go of the flow of power, and was slowly drawn from Gale's now empty mind.

She could here several voices calling her out. She blinked, and found herself in a tunnel there was a light at the end. The voices of her living friends were emanating from it, and so she ran to it. As she approached, she heard Whispering-Wind, and Nagu's calls loudest of all. She reached the light, and closed her eyes as she prepared for the flash of waking.

She awoke to find herself in a bed of cedar boughs. She sniffed, and smelled Whispering-Wind, and Nagu. It was dark, but she was able to know where she was. She was in the den Nagu had made before. He was in the opening, blocking the cold. Aleu could also hear that he was awake. She looked, and felt a wave of grief flood over her. Gale was there, beside her. Her body had been patched with sweet and bitter smelling poultices, as were her own injuries. She watched as the worst of her cuts began healing. The relief was bitter sweet. Gale had blocked her from using the same power on her own body. She coughed, as her throat was dry. Nagu looked up and turned to see her. His ears were already drooping. "She didn't make it, did she?" Aleu looked down at her feet with a sense of shameful defeat. "No." She replied simply. She got up and walked out, leaving Nagu to grieve for his sister. She went over, and lapped from the lake, since the ice had yet to freeze over again.

Whispering-Wind had come along in time to see her walk out. She was carrying a new package of herbs. Aleu smelled her and the herbs before she saw them. They were herbs of strengthening, not healing. It was likely she hadn't expected Gale to get better. Whisper came and sat down beside her. Together they simply sat, staring out over the lake. It wasn't yet night. It was dark, she noticed, because the sky had turned a dark gray, thick with a coming winter storm. After a minute, Whisper spoke up in a stern tone. "You almost died today Aleu." She stopped herself from snorting. "I know I almost died Whisper. I was ready too. My blood stains are still out there, on the ice." Whisper replied, "I don't mean that Aleu. That couldn't be helped. You were ambushed. I'm talking about how you nearly died trying to save Gale." Aleu was confused. Surely it wasn't that dangerous. She'd walked in dreams before. Whisper clarified, saying, "You entered her mind with the intent of healing her body. However, she was already about to leave us the moment the bear injured her. Healing her broken body would have taken all your energy, and then some." Aleu hadn't realized that she had been so clumsy with her abilities. If Whisper was right, she almost got herself killed. "Gale must have known. She stopped me from trying to heal her." Whisper looked surprised, but then nodded. "She knew you would have been willing to sacrifice yourself Aleu, and she didn't want that; not for you, and not for the pack." Aleu recalled that she had a pack to look after. It had taken her a few minutes, but she suddenly came to realize, she wasn't alone, and she had a duty. She also remembered her promise to Gale.

She went back to speak with Nagu. He lay there with his sister, his eyes solemn, with his chin resting on her head. Aleu approached him, and started gently, saying, "Nagu. I'm so sorry. I feel like this is my fault, but you should know, before she left us, I saw Gale ascend with your parents, and you other siblings." His ears almost perked when he heard this, though he remained in his state of sorrow. Aleu continued, "She asked me to tell you to remain hopeful. She is happy where she is, and she can only say goodbye until the day you meet again." Nagu lifted his head now, and looked to Aleu. "You did try to save her right?" Aleu felt a spark of hope at his response to her. She replied, "Yes. Yes, I'm told I almost killed myself in the process. Gale must have know that, because she stopped me from healing her." Nagu nodded thoughtfully. 'That sounded like Gale alright. She was loyal to the end.'

Nagu stood now, and sighed, sounding exasperated. He said, "No Aleu. It wasn't you fault. My patrols never even found that bear's den; we never even found any trace of its activity this far into our territory." "Maybe if we had caught him, you never would have been in danger, and Gale would still be alive." He looked to Aleu with a guarded look of desperation. "It's _my_ fault Aleu... And my sister is dead because of it." Aleu had been about to say something, but Nagu ran off into the forest. She let him go, knowing it was folly to track him with a storm on the way. He'd likely be home soon anyway.

Later that night, it was snowing outside of the cave. All of the pack had assembled. Even Nagu had since returned, though he hadn't spoken once since earlier in the day. Everyone else also looked solemn, for they were about to go through with the funeral for Gale.

She had been laid to rest by her brother, with the help of Nuk, and Whisper. Aga had been there too, in order to deliver the traditional funerary rights of the deceased. Aga didn't blame anyone for making the occasional, passive statement that she had died before him; after all, he was almost as old as Nava, assuming he was still living. When all was set, the wolves gathered at the mouth of the cave, with Aleu sitting in the middle, at the forefront, facing her pack.

She addressed the assembled wolves, saying, "Before we begin, I'd like to thank all of you for taking the time to gather here tonight as we pay our final respects." Aleu looked around to her pack. They all wore solemn looks, but the look of greatest sadness was unsurprisingly upon Nagu's face. She continued, "Gale was a good wolf. She was a valuable asset for this pack. She was hard working, loyal, and kind." Aleu had to suppress a a wave of shivers that had begun to rise within her voice. "She was a good friend to me." She paused, to think about her next statement. "She saved my life today, even at the cost of her own. Twice." She turned now to the grave where Gale was buried. "I can never thank her enough. Gale, if your listening, Thank you. You will always be remembered by us." She stepped aside to let Nagu deliver his final respects.

After Nagu, was Night-shade, followed by Whispering-Wind. They all delivered a moving speech which included the memories they had shared as pups, memories Aleu hadn't seen yet. It was a ceremony which nearly brought several wolves, including Aleu, to tears. When all was finished, Aleu led her pack in a chorus of howls to the almost full moon, which was now high in the starlit sky, illuminating the area in its pale, translucent light. As the chorus was ending, Aleu could have sworn she'd just seen Gale's spirit, a ghost-like apparition, sitting by her grave, with Muru sitting atop the pile of stones beside her. They nodded goodbye to Aleu, and disappeared, vanishing into the cold night air. When Aleu looked to Nagu beside her, he seemed to have seen the vision as well. "It looks like Gale said goodbye to Nagu after all.", she thought to herself. Still, she couldn't help feeling a gaping hole in her soul.

Before the ceremony had truly ended, Aleu had one final matter to attend to. As the assembled wolves went off to do their business, most of them sharing tongues, Aleu intercepted Whispering-Wind, and Night-shade. She began, "Night-shade, wait." Night-shade stopped, and looked to her alpha. "Yes mistress?", she inquired. Aleu responded, "I asked you before if you would be willing to take Gale's place as one of my advisers. I wanted to keep my word. You are now my number three wolf." Night-shade displayed a look of happy shock, though it was quickly replaced with the per-existing flood of grief. She replied, "Yes Aleu. I'll assemble a hunting party for tomorrow immediately if you would like." Aleu replied, all too quickly, "No!" She paused, seeing the shock on Night-shade's face. "Errm, I mean... No, Night-shade... Thank you, but I'd like to go with Gale's final assemblage. She'd planned out tomorrow's hunt earlier this morning. I, uh, I think it's only right." Night-shade understood completely. She nodded her affirmation to Aleu. "Is there anything else Aleu?" Aleu replied, "No." Aleu dismissed Night-shade.

Aleu was about to head to her ledge, but she spotted Nagu up on the hilltop above the cave, seeming to talk to the moon. She guessed he was having a debate with the spirits. She could only guess his pain, but she knew he would have to snap out of it sooner or later, else he may become a liability. Aleu sighed, and headed off to bed.

That night, she didn't dream much. It was a cold night, and she was alone. She didn't have either Gale, or Nagu to keep her company, and whenever she fell asleep for too long, she found herself jolted awake by some nightmare she couldn't recall, though she guessed they had to do with Gale and Nagu.

It was almost morning now, and Aleu was once again awaken by herself, but this time, she awoke screaming "Gale, wait!" A few wolves had raised their heads in alarm, Night-shade included. Aleu was a little embarrassed, and sympathetic that she'd awoken them almost an hour early. She decided that she'd had about as much sleep as she was going to get that night, and she got up to urinate.

As she returned to the cave mouth, she noticed Nagu was still on the hilltop. He wasn't frozen or anything, so she let him stay a little longer. Thus, Aleu would have to take someone along on the hunt to replace Nagu. Even if he remembered, he probably hadn't slept enough that night to say so.

Entered into the cave, and found that most of the wolves had since become active. Several had already left, presumably either on patrols, to go hunting themselves, or attend their own hygiene. Aleu located Night-shade, and reminded her to attend the hunt that morning. She also asked Night-shade her opinion on who should be the wolf to replace Nagu, and Night-shade suggested that Honeysuckle should attend, being an excellent tracker. Aleu confirmed this, and found Honeysuckle returning from the forest. She had been talking with the lithe wolf Naynack. Apparently they were getting very close lately. Aleu thought nothing of it, and asked her to attend. She was happy to help the clan with a hunt out beyond the borders, but she had asked if Naynack could attend. Aleu was willing to allow this, on the condition Honeysuckle didn't let his presence interfere with the hunt.

Within the hour, the five wolves were set to depart. Aleu noticed how Nagu had returned to his bed recently, and she asked him to speak with her later. His response had seemed almost devoid of emotion, but for now she needed to focus on hunting.

The patrol walked for about an hour and a half, toward the east border. She found herself thinking yet again, how this was an enormous land. By the time they'd reached the border, there hadn't been a whiff of caribou scent in the area, but the strong scent of the musk oxen was only growing stronger. They stood on the edge of a small plateau, and looked out over a snow covered plain. In the distance, the herd could be seen, covering a vast expanse. The group which had migrated there a few days ago was vast, and would soon eat all the remaining grass and plains moss. Aleu thought to herself, "This may very well be our final hunt of the oxen, so we'd better make it good."

They carefully climbed down from there position overlooking the herd. There was a smaller group of about four oxen not far from them. It was an excellent opportunity.

Aleu quickly located two ideal candidates: the largest bull, and an adolescent female. The others would have to be misdirected away. Aleu had Nuk poised to attack the bull from the side at her signal She would distract him front the front, while the others would scare away the others. They would focus on the young one as soon as they got an opening.

Everyone was in position, so Aleu began the battle. She crept up to the bull from just behind his eye. She was almost ten meters away when he first noticed her, and took to the defense. As predicted, the others took up positions around the youngest ones. Aleu stood now, gave the signal, and rushed the bull, snarling with her teeth bared, and stopped five meters away. While the bull's attention was on her, Nuk had rushed in from side, and now he pounced. The bull bellowed in pain and rage as Nuk bit the back of his neck. By that time, the remaining three wolves had begun the attack, and had distracted the other three adults. Aleu leaped in to take the bull's other side, and began tearing at the dense, tough flesh. It was over quickly, and she and Nuk went to aid the others.

The remaining adults were difficult to manipulate, so Aleu gave an order to focus upon the one they had gotten away from the group. That too ended in a quick success. The remaining three musk ox had since run away, and were now more than two hundred meters away. It didn't matter however, as They had enough meat to feed the clan for two weeks. Thanks to the cold, any extra they didn't eat today would actually keep. Thus, Aleu and her patrol ate their fill, and began dragging the remaining carcasses to the cave. Nuk was able to handle the remnants of the bull himself, while Aleu, Honeysuckle, and Naynack hulled the untouched Adult to their border. Night-shade had gone ahead to inform the pack of the drop site, so they too could eat their share. After about ten minutes, they were well inside their border, and they stopped the haul. Aleu dismissed her patrol; Honeysuckle walked beside Naynack, headed somewhere she didn't care at the moment. Nuk had excused himself, as he had other duties to attend. Night-shade wouldn't be back for a while, and if she kept moving, Aleu knew they wouldn't likely meet up again until much later. Regardless, she was glad for a little time alone. She wanted to mull over her thoughts and emotions.

After the bear attack, Aleu couldn't stop thinking about the situation of her friends for very long. They had been orphaned by humans, but the humans attacked because Sukko, the grizzly, had made several attacks on livestock, and angered the humans. Now, he was back. He had somehow also crossed the ice bridge to this new land, and was here now. If Sukko was going to try the same moves, he would have to be stopped, preemptively.

Aleu almost bumped into Nagu, since she wasn't looking ahead. He sighed, "You really should pay more attention to where you walk Aleu." He kicked a stone and triggered a snare. It wouldn't have been dangerous to Aleu, but it would definatley have hurt had it caught her foot. Nagu had been looking at the snare when he triggered it, but he now looked to Aleu, a void look in his eyes. He continued, " It's a fox trap. The humans have always done such hunts during the summer, fall, and often the winter. This one seems old, so there probably aren't many hunters currently here to be worried about." She allowed a sign of concern to cross her face. "How many signs of hunters have you seen; Rather, is it something to be concerned about?" He replied, "I don't think so Aleu. We just got here, so there probably aren't many humans who care about hunting us yet. They may eventually come however, and then, well who knows?" She nodded thoughtfully. She noted that at least Nagu was still able to do his duties well.

Aleu couldn't hold herself back much longer, so she let her question out. She asked, "Nagu; You've changed. I know what you'll say if I were to ask if you were alright, but I'm still worried." His response surprised Aleu. His wisdom once again blew her away. He said, "I'm not alright at all Aleu. My emotions are a wreck. My family was killed when I was young, and my last remaining sister died horribly yesterday. I can handle myself and my duties fine. They don't require emotion; but no, I'm not fine." He looked to the pale winter sky. "For the first time, I'm alone." Aleu saw her chance. She forced herself into his chest fur, and snuggled against him firmly. Before he had a chance to pull away, she said, "You're not alone Nagu. You still have me." He was shocked by her intensity, and almost jumped back, but he felt something within him. She was right. Also, it wasn't just her he still had. He still had most of his childhood friends around. There was Night-shade, Whispering-Wind, and several others. He could hardly believe he had been so blind. Aleu was still rubbing her head under his chin. He replied, "I'm sorry Aleu. You're right." She paused, and looked up at his eyes. He met hers. She noticed that there was a sense of emotion returning to his gaze. She smiled, and resumed cuddling with him, more gently now. Nagu continued, saying, "I was never alone either; I've always known of my friends, my family... my guides. They've always been there for me." He paused, before saying, "So have you." Aleu's ears pricked at this. She stepped back a little to look at him more fully. She replied with utter confidence. "I have always been there for you Nagu... For all of my pack. If there was ever at time when any of you felt I wasn't, I would hope you'd tell me. I would be certain not to let it happen again. I would do everything I can to always be there."

Nagu knew she was speaking mostly to him right now. He nodded his thanks, grateful that she'd helped snap him out of his grief. True, he still felt sorrow for his lost sister, but he felt more whole in general now, know that he'd come to realize that he wasn't truly alone.

The two wolves walked back side by side, their tails occasionally getting twined together. After a few minutes, Aleu actually did meet up with Night-shade. She was leading a group of twelve wolves, including Aga, to the drop site. Aleu waited as they passed, nodding to some of them as they greeted her. Aleu watched them shrink into the darkness of the forest, making sure all were fit. She didn't smell any sickness, and saw no limping, so she was satisfied. She brought up her observations with Nagu, and he confirmed that they'd all seemed healthy.

They were almost to the cave now. Aleu could see that it was almost sun-high by now. She realized that she had nothing else to do. Nagu had patrols to organize, so Aleu offered to join him. "Hey Nagu!" She called from across the cave to her friend. When he acknowledged that he was listening she continued, saying, "I've got nothing to do. How about I come with you to check the west border." Nagu yelled back, "Sure thing Aleu. We could use another wolf. Everyone else has hunting plans." He had walked over to her by now. He continued, "I'd... I mean, we'd love to have you with us. That is, as long as there isn't anything you think you might be needed here for while we're gone." She was certain that Whisper and Night-shade would be able to handle any further small disturbances. When she told Nagu the same, he told her that they'd be leaving in five. Aleu had no intention of taking over his strategy, so she let him give the order to leave.


	9. Chapter 9: Darkness Comes Before Dawn

They were headed to the southern border today. Nagu was heading the patrol, and today Aleu had joined. It was mid-day, and Aleu had earlier led a team of her own to kill two large musk oxen, and they had dragged the carcasses back into their borders. All that had been accomplished before sun-high, and Aleu and her team had no other chores to do. She was sure Night-shade would happily take the boring task of watching over the clan while she was away. Today was a lazy day, the day as the day after a funeral often was. 'A funeral...' Aleu had almost forgotten the loss of her friend in the business of the day. She'd hunted, dragged carcasses, and now she was going on a patrol with the wolf she loved. "Wait... did I just say that?" She thought to herself. She hadn't really considered carefully before if she'd ever fall in love. She wasn't certain of it even now. "huh... Love." She said it again, just to hear herself think it.

Another hour had come and gone. They'd passed by the lake she and Nagu often visited together. Aleu thought she'd actually seen the apparition of Gale, sitting by Anyu, as they hovered over the frozen lake, before being blown away with a flurry of snow and wind. The vision made her remember a few snippets of her nightmares the previous night. They weren't important, but they'd made her shiver. The action made Nagu slightly curious, but she simply replied she'd seen something that reminded her of some bad nightmares. When Nagu pressed for more details, she brushed him off, asking him not to bring up the subject again. He'd simply shrugged and accepted her choice, though Aleu could feel he'd been hurt by her aggressive rebuke. In truth she'd hoped she would be able to talk about it by now, but she couldn't bring herself to breach the subject. She'd made an effort to remember to apologize later, when they were less busy.

By the time they'd reached the southern border, the sun was in decline. Shadows were already beginning to creep, and the temperature was falling. Aleu had been on patrols before, but she'd always gotten to check the borders in warmer temperatures. She could tell already that this was going to be a long haul of a chore.

They split into two groups. Nuk and Honeysuckle were in one with two others. She and Nagu took Aga with their group. If they cut the border in half, they'd regroup at the lake on the way back, covering the entire border in half the time. Aleu was impressed. Nagu planned things so robustly, yet so fluently and efficiently. She'd never actually seen him in action. When they broke off, he gave Aga an order, and politely requested that she take a separate task. They were combing the border to cover more ground, staying in earshot, but not always in view of each other. Aleu felt empowered by taking his orders so directly. She felt he was trustworthy even with her own life. She knew she could trust him with her life, just as she'd grown to trust Gale... She almost swore, cursing herself angrily for distracting herself again with the bitter events of the previous day. She had to get her mind on the goal; her entire patrol might depend on her at any second.

She went on like that for some time. She'd smelled stale fox scent, and even a stale moose scent. She actually caught a coyote, and argued with him until he'd yielded, and she agreed to let him keep a piece of prey he'd already taken, for the sake of his sick family, but left him with a potential scar to remember her by. Aleu had marked perhaps twenty of thirty trees, both with urine, and with her fur scent, though only because she'd started getting sap and needles stuck to her from rubbing tree trunks and rolling in dry needle beds.

She eventually came upon a hill top, which had her elevated by almost a hundred feet above Nagu and Aga. She could actually see Nagu between the trees as he parted. She averted her eyes to spare herself watching him mark a boulder. She also noticed they had almost reached the landmark where they'd regroup together to make sure no one had been attacked. It was a large three trunk oak, an ancient tree. She hurried onward, eager not only to join Nagu again, but also to avoid worrying him and Aga.

Within three minutes, she'd arrived at the triple oak, just in time to see Nagu and Aga emerge from the brush near her. She greeted Nagu with a grin, and a nod. He returned the greeting, and greeted Aga also. They had started away again, about to begin the final third of the patrol. Aleu had convinced Nagu to stay nearer, so they could speak. Since they hadn't found any serious threats thus, far, and they were still checking, even now, Nagu has no reason to turn down Aleu's company, and for that matter, he didn't really want to.

At first, they spoke about trivial things, and chatted about patrols and even when they ought to do the next hunt. However, after about ten minutes of this scenting, and marking, and chatting, Aleu found herself bringing up the subject of Gale, in that she would normally have talked plans through with Gale, but Night-shade was still inexperienced. Mentioning her name had made them both experience a drawn out awkward pause, as the memories came flooding back momentarily.

Aleu wanted to continue with the subject of Gale, but was uncertain about breaching the subject again, but she had to know something. She continued, "I'll always miss her. You will too, won't you?" Nagu looked down trodden as he nodded, and said, "Yes, of course. She was the only one of my litter I had left after the massacre." This was what Aleu wanted to talk about. She felt needed to know more about what caused the incident with the hunters. She had seen from Nagu's memory that it had been initially caused by Sukko. However, she was still very unclear about why. Also, if Sukko was back again, she needed to know now if he was going to be a further threat.

Thus, she asked, "Why did the humans attack, Nagu?" Still walking forward beside Aleu, he glanced her way, his ears betraying his feelings of sadness, anger, and anxiety. Aleu knew she should be careful not to push Nagu too far. The last thing wanted was to cause him to revert to his feelings of solitude. Regardless, Nagu answered her after a moment of reflection of his memory. He said, "I only remember little bits and pieces, Aleu. I was only a pup when it happened." Aleu was delighted that he seemed to be open to her questions. Thus, carefully choosing her words, she encouraged him, "It would mean a lot to me if you could remember what you can. I feel as though this is something I need to know..." She paused, thinking on her next words, then continued, "And I think its something you need to get off your chest too." Nagu was surprised at what she had suggested. What surprised him more, though, was the fact that he felt Aleu was correct. "Alright." He began. "I'll try to remember." Aleu waited patiently as he began his tale.

"It was nearing hibernation season for the bears at the time, many, many years ago." He paused again, before continuing. "I remember scouts kept coming to Nava daily reporting bear activity near the borders; most of all near the east border, where the humans of a small town, called Nome were living." Aleu was shocked; that was were she was born, and raised. However, she kept quiet, and allowed Nagu to continue with his story. He said, "I don't know what happened for sure, but I remember overhearing a patrol returning one day, telling Nava that bears had begun attacking the human's livestock. It kept happening too. One day, the humans just started laying traps, and hunting us. Eventually it got so bad, that Nava had considering moving farther away from the human settlement. That was the day the humans started burning the trees, and the day my family was killed." This last part he told through gritted teeth, and now tears were building in the corners of his eyes. They were tears of rage, and sorrow. He took a moment to blink his eyes clear. "Nava also lost his mate, and Whispering-Wind became motherless that day. In addition, Night-shade and Marigold also lost their parents. We wound up moving just as Nava had planned, but with several fewer wolves, and two days early. Nava took us in as his adopted children." He stopped talking now, and Aleu looked alarmed. He asked what was wrong, and why she looked that way, and she replied, "But, who attacked the livestock?" Nagu replied, "It was several bears who joined in slaughtering the humans' animals, but the most aggressive, and smartest of them I remember clearly. He had a scar across one eye, and down the side of his neck. We called him Sukko, or evil one." Aleu's hair was beginning to stand on end. "Nagu?" She began. "Sukko is still here, and he's the bear that just killed Gale!"

Nagu halted, actually stumbling over his own stopping force. "What... do you... MEAN!?" Nagu was staring wide eyed, and teeth bared, not snarling, just unable to control his lips at the sheer shock of the statement. She replied with great seriousness in her tone, "Nagu, Sukko is still alive! He's here, he just killed your sister, and there's a human village just three miles to the north!" Nagu stood stiff, and tall, as if he'd been struck by lightning. "That's right!" He shook himself, though when Aleu looked into his eyes, there was a look of death there. "If he is allowed to get away from us Aleu, you'll likely see first hand, the same thing that we all went through as pups." Aleu already knew this by now, and Nagu beat her to the next idea. "We should find Sukko, now! We need to find him, and make certain he'll never get the chance to ever hurt another wolf." Aleu was in agreement, however, she felt it was necessary to stress that it was hibernation day tomorrow. There was a very strong likelihood that Sukko would be hibernating already, and it would be very difficult to find him.

Nagu was adamant however. He was unwilling to just let the murderous animal go free. "We can't just ignore this problem Aleu! If we let him go, not only will he likely elude us in the spring, he'll also likely be back again." Aleu was becoming slightly irritated at his stubbornness after a whole minute of squabbling. She didn't wish to force her will upon him, and to be frank, she wasn't sure if he would even accept it. Aleu decided to end the argument while she was ahead with a compromise. She began, "Alright, Nagu! Alright!" She sighed with slight exasperation. She continued, through gritted teeth, barely keeping her temper, "I don't want to see this murder go free either, Nagu. However, we can't let ourselves make any rash decisions." Nagu was about to protest with a "But Aleu...", however, she set her tail up against his mouth to give him a moment of pause. "But... We could certainly get away with standard protocol." Nagu looked on her with a look of slight desperation, though understanding was dawning. She wanted to avenge Gale too. She continued, "If we track him, we'll know where he went, and maybe we can even find where he is staying. We'll end this problem before history repeats itself." Nagu seemed satisfied, and quickly regained his countenance. Thus, they completed the patrol, before regrouping at the lake with Nuk and Honeysuckle. They now numbered seven, which, Aleu had to agree with Nagu, was a formidable force. However, Aleu realized that the others must be severely spent after trekking through the cold for two and a half hours.

Aleu told her plan to Nuk and Aga, and sent everyone back to the den. She wasn't certain what they would find, but she also wanted reinforcements at the ready. Thus, she ordered Nuk to assemble a posse, with Night-shade leading. They were to listen for her, or Nagu's signal, in case they needed help. Luckily, the northern border wasn't very far from the den, so it was a workable plan. As such, Aleu and Nagu carried on. They would track Sukko until either they could search no further, or they found his lair. After they found him, Aleu and Nagu planned to finalize vengeance for his wrongs, both long past, and recent, for Sukko was a killer, and could not be allowed to live anywhere near them.

And so they carried on; Aleu and Nagu bade their patrol farewell, dismissing them to retire for the night, while the two continued tracking the bear northward. At first, there was no sign of Sukko. They had searched a wide area north of the den, searching for the bear, before finally finding a space where he had bedded, only minutes before. It had taken almost another half hour to find the trail. Aleu found his tracks first, and as she and Nagu followed them, she could tell he wasn't in any hurry. Obviously, the bear was still searching for a final meal before heading off to hibernate. If they hurried, they may still be able to catch him. At least, that's what Aleu told herself. She truly did want to see justice for all the wolves who had previously been killed, either directly, or by the humans at Sukko's fault.

They followed the trail northward, toward the mountains. It did not take long before they started getting close to the looming rock face. Along with the steep slope, and the deep snow however, the storm Aleu had seen coming was now upon them. The mountainous terrain only magnified the effects of the wind, and the cold. Aleu knew tracking would be impossible, and just being up that high in such weather was dangerous at best. Nagu must have thought over the situation as well, for he suggested to Aleu that they turn in for the night. It was obvious they were only going to get themselves hurt by trying to find Sukko in the storm; and so they headed back to the den, feeling cold and exhausted. Aleu had a feeling that even her anxiety over Sukko wouldn't stop her from being able to sleep that night.

When they arrived at the entrance, Night-shade had since scented them, and was awaiting their return. She went up to the two snow covered wolves. "Aleu!? Are you and Nagu alright? You look like you both like icicles!" Aleu snorted in amusement, and replied, with a heavy sigh, "Ohhh!... I feel like an icicle, Shade." She shook the snow off herself, and Nagu was doing the same. She shivered. Whisper had just come up to her. The healer examined her quickly, to make sure she hadn't any frost-bite. Whisper found nothing too badly injured by the cold aside from her pads, which would heal quickly into calluses. Whisper moved on to Nagu, and Aleu went to her ledge, Night-shade followed her there, though she stopped at the foot, while Aleu jumped up to her place. She looked down beside her friend, and invited her up. She had forgotten for a moment that it was not the place of a Beta to follow the Alpha to the high bed without invitation; her time with Nagu was clouding her judgment on such niceties.

Night-shade had refused Aleu's invitation. Aleu would have insisted, she was feeling quite cold after all, however, Nagu came up and took his place beside. Aleu. They had an unspoken agreement that they both felt like they were freezing, and the cave wasn't really warm, just sheltered. Aleu had no argument. She was glad for his shared warmth.

With Nagu beside her, their pelts brushing, Aleu returned her attention to Night-shade. She began, "As I was saying, Night-shade. I don't know how much you've heard, but Nagu and I were just out tracking the bear responsible for attacking me and Gale." Night-shade affirmed that she had already heard this news. Aleu nodded thoughtfully. She looked sideways for a moment to Nagu. She wasn't sure of the best way to break the news, but Nagu simply nodded his encouragement. She smiled lightly, once again grateful for his companionship, and his wisdom. She looked down to her friend and adviser, and said, "We have discovered that the bear responsible is no other than... Sukko." Night-shade looked confused. Her expression showed that she was trying to remember something. Aleu didn't blame her. It would have been almost two years prior. Suddenly, Night-shade dawned a look of surprised horror, with a hint of anger. "Sukko!?", she said, looking more angry now. Aleu nodded, but was surprised when Night-shade said again, "SUKKO!?" Aleu cocked an eyebrow, and slowly replied "Yes...". Night-shade continued. "You say that Sukko is here!? That murderous..." She stopped mid-sentence, and growled to herself, and let out an exasperated snarl of frustration. She shook herself, regaining her countenance, before starting again. She said, "Sorry Aleu... I have heard all the stories about that mangy disgusting, cowardly monstrosity... Apparently, he'd actually killed a few wolves back when Nava was still leading us. Ya' know... before he went off and lured the humans to our home." Aleu had not heard this. She asked Night-shade to explain, and apparently, many of the wolves knew much about Sukko. He was a legendary wolf killer. This, of course, did nothing to soothe Aleu's fears of what the bear would try to do next.

She dismissed Night-shade, and caught something she'd said to herself, cursing the bear. She turned to Nagu. He had been mostly silent; he looked solemn. She said, "We have to find this monster, it's not just justice anymore; Sukko is a very real danger." Nagu took on a look of confidence, and determination, and nodded his agreement. Aleu looked out over her pack now, and thought, "I won't let them down again." She lay her head down beside Nagu, who began licking her ears clean. Aleu was glad for his company. She was certain she'd never get to sleep now without the added comfort. She added, "Tomorrow, We'll go out again to search for that bear." Tomorrow, she would need her rest if they were going to bring Sukko to justice.

The next morning, she and Nagu awoke minutes before the sunrise. She assigned several wolves to do the patrols, and left Night-shade, Nuk, and Whispering-Wind to do their own duties. It was a cold day, and they couldn't really spare any wolves to to be with herself and Nagu that morning, so the two went alone, again using the plan that she or Nagu would call for reinforcements if need be. Luckily, Night-shade had a patrol scouting the northern border that morning anyway, so she'd likely be close by for help if need be. They set off for the ridge-line they had stopped at the night before.

Once they were at the ridge, it did not take long at all to find the trail. Sukko had sheltered from the storm the night before in an enclave, and now had gotten up with the sun. He still seemed to be lumbering northward, slowly and deliberately. Aleu could tell that he wasn't in any hurry. However, Nagu discovered that Sukko had taken on a hunter's stance a little ways down the mountain side. It was very clear why, for she could clearly scent the humans' livestock from where they stood, almost two miles away. Aleu and Nagu exchanged worried glances. They both realized that the bear was planning exactly what they'd feared. Aleu motioned to keep moving.

They were closing in on Sukko now. The stench of bear was becoming greatly stronger than anytime prior. They were also closer to the human village now.

Aleu had since taken on a more concealed crouch, rather than an open gait. Nagu had taken a similar approach. They'd rather have the element of surprise than suffer from it. It didn't matter much however, as Aleu suddenly felt a tug at her right, hind paw. The tug quickly turned into a burning pain, and something pulled her paw out from under he, causing her to lose balance. She turned to her attacker, struggling to loose herself, but found only a small tree looming over her. She gasped at the sight, but quickly realized what had happened. She glanced at her foot, and noticed a thin wire had gripped her foot, for she had inadvertently walked through a rabbit snare. She growled inwardly, and snapped at the wire. It broke cleanly, releasing her still tender paw to fall to the ground. Nagu had heard the commotion, and rushed over to her. "Aleu!? What happened?" She didn't really need to tell him, for he saw her ruffled fur, and the broken snare. She lay crouched over her leg, licking the wound, trying to see how bad the injury was. Nagu sighed, and looked to Aleu with a seriousness, as he said, "I warned you Aleu. But, at least we know there are traps up here too." Aleu had determined that her paw would be fine, and rolled her eyes at Nagu's comment. He had warned her of traps, and she didn't need his smug grin baring over her. She stood up, and replied, "Yes Nagu. Of course... Now, if you don't mind, I for one would like to carry on." She motioned for him to follow, and Nagu simply laughed to himself quickly, before coming up beside her.

The next time they found a trap, Aleu had found it before Nagu stepped in it. It was good that she did too, for the trap she'd found was a foothold trap, big enough to trap a bear or to break a wolf's leg. She had scene traps of that kind in a hunter's shed back in Nome. Nagu had jumped in surprise when she'd used a large tree branch to set it off. The trap clacked shut with a resounding clang, and had snapped the branch almost cleanly. Nagu had stood in awe that the humans would resort to such powerful traps. They had found two additional snare, and one more foot-hold trap before they'd arrived at the village. The final trap was practically next to the tree line.

Aleu and Nagu were very close to finding Sukko. The stench of bear was so strong here, that it made Aleu's nose itch. Sukko was very close. They continued to search, becoming more frantic by the minute now that they knew the bear was going to anger the humans by doing something, and she could guess he would try to kill livestock once again. Eventually, their search brought them to the animal herd. Aleu and Nagu were somewhat relieved when they found no sign of Sukko having ever been there. Aleu had been running along the tree line up till now, and when she had regrouped with Nagu, she asked, breathlessly, "Where is he? If he's not after the animals, what is he..." She was interrupted by a terrifying sound; it was the sound of a little girl screaming in terror; a human girl!

"What...", Nagu started, but then he saw what was happening. They had found Sukko, and he wasn't too far from the farm. However, the situation was much worse now, because there, near the farm house, was Sukko, and he had cornered a human child, a little girl! Without time to think, and no time to speak, or do anything, both wolves reacted instantly. They dashed across the open field head to head, as fast as either of them could go. Aleu did manage to remember her signal, and so, without stopping, she let out a deep, powerful howl, signaling an emergency. She knew very well already that she and Nagu would need help if they were going to defeat Sukko.

Less than a half minute later, Aleu and Nagu had crossed the field, and were now practically atop Sukko and the human child. Aleu snarled with a vengeance, and practically flew as she leaped onto the monster's shoulder, and bit down hard onto the back of Sukko's neck. The bear roared in anger, rather than agony, and he began trying to throw Aleu off. Nagu had arrive seconds behind Aleu, and took a moment to glance at the girl, still standing, petrified. Nagu was desperate to get the girl out of harm's way, so he yelled to the human, "Go! Get out of here!" The girl somehow snapped out of her stupor, and made a dash for the nearby town. Now, Nagu turned to the bear, and began his own assault.

Aleu, who had been holding onto Sukko's scruff for the entire time, finally weakened, and was thrown off. Having been thrown several meters, she landed with a thud, and she felt her breath get knocked from her lungs. She struggled to her feet, heaving for breath. She looked to the bear, and saw Nagu also go flying several meters, though Nagu had suffered the throw by claw. Aleu felt a jolt of sickness go through her as she watched a fine spray of blood pepper the snow covered ground. The scent of Nagu filled her nostrils, and she knew it was his blood.

Ale felt anger burning within her again. She would not allow another wolf to die by this bear's claws or teeth. She leaped again, this time grasping the grizzly's throat, and she bit down as hard as she had ever been able to do. Aleu opened her eyes, for she was squinting, and she saw the bear roar as it swung her off. This time, Aleu hit a fence, and she felt two of her ribs break. She felt the burning pain, she saw stars, and was sick; the very action made additional pain shoot through her mid-section. She struggled to look at Sukko, as he came closer, but everything had a yellowed tint, and looked fuzzy. She barely had time to react when a clawed paw came down upon her. She barely dodged, but felt the claws rip something in her leg. The pain was immediate, and clarifying. She felt a sudden burst of energy, and she could see clearly again. However, the pain also became more acute, but was gradually fading. She knew this adrenaline rush wouldn't last long, so she prepared to fight more.

As Aleu was about to pounce again, she stopped. Behind the bear in front of her was the tree line, and she saw something shiny; It was a _bear_ trap! She glanced over, and saw Nagu struggling to his feet. She didn't try to speak, for she could taste her own blood in her throat, and speaking would only make it worse. The bear, no; the monster before her had killed two wolves, gotten five others killed by humans, and now was trying to hunt an innocent human child, the apex of animal crimes, not only for being just plain dumb, but it was an unwritten law, that if broken, branded oneself forever an outcast. This was to end here, and now, no matter what, she decided. She looked into the raging eyes of Sukko, and let out one single roar. She yelled, "Come and get me Sukko!" She ran off toward the trap, and Sukko followed. Nagu was able to look up just in time to see Aleu lead off the grizzly. He heard yells, and dogs coming from the village. He felt alarm rise as the memories of those sounds flooded back, but he paid them no mind. Instead, he followed behind Aleu, limping slightly, leaving a light trail of blood from his paw prints.

Aleu was almost at the treeline now, and she almost slowed down to look behind her, but didn't need to. She felt that Sukko was in fact right on her tail, when he bit off the fur on the tip. Aleu grimaced at the new pain, but sped up. She leaped over the trap, onto a boulder up above it, and turned to look.

Sukko was right there as she turned, her muzzle bumping his; She jumped in surprise, as Sukko roared, and took a step. 'SNAP!' The trap had caught Sukko by surprise, and the massive beast roared in pain now, though his anger was still very clearly present. Aleu made a fatal error, and waited, watching her endeavors succeed. Sukko took the opportunity to make his final attack, and bit down on Aleu's leg. She felt teeth meet bone, and Sukko swung her for the last time. She collided with a tree, and felt her back break.

Aleu felt light, and cold. She was still hardly conscious, but only just. She heard muffled shouts as Nagu cried her name, at least, that's what it sounded like. She barely managed to open her eyes, and saw a fuzzy creature, with the shape of a wolf in front of her. She could only see trees, and a gray sky beyond the blurred animal. It seemed to be saying something. It sounded like, "Hold on Aleu! Don't die!" Don't die? What does that mean? More of the creatures came, and she felt them roll her onto a cedar bough, and begin dragging her away somewhere. She heard some muffled creature roar, and felt a massive vibration, like something heavy had hit the ground near her. She also saw some cuddly animal trying to reach her with its teeth, but the other creatures came between them, just out of reach of the larger one. She looked forward and saw the first animal near her again. He looked to her, and mouthed something. It looked like it said something with an 'L', though that was all she could make out, as a bright light quickly engulfed her vision.

After the light, Aleu felt empty, cold, and alone for what felt like years passing in seconds. She was in blackness, but she felt at peace. Still, something wasn't right. She heard something in the distance. It became louder; louder. Now she could hear it clearly, it was the sounds of many wolves, her friends, her pack. She could make out Night-shade, and Whispering-Wind, among others. Of Course! She'd been injured and was blacked out.

She heard Whisper's voice bark a command to someone, though she couldn't quite make it out. She felt a warm, soft, though rough object begin rasping over where she remembered was the injury on her leg. She felt two wolves, one on her scruff, and one on her tail. They tugged gently, steadily, until she heard something in her back pop slightly. She was straight now, and she was left there, lying on her side. Aleu saw light beginning to filter through her eye lids. She began to open them, but could only see through slits. She saw the lake before her, for she was in the den Nagu had made during the fall. Her friends had brought her to the den to heal. She saw Nagu lay beside her, asleep. As she tried to move, she felt pain stab through her, mostly from her back, and out she went again.

It had been a full day since Aleu had been injured, but strangely her injury wasn't healing properly. Whispering-Wind did what she could, and Nagu and Night-shade took turns staying by her side, keeping her warm, and free from disturbance in the den by the lake. Aleu was dying. They could all feel it. She had given everything she had to save her pack from the murderous bear, and possibly from a repeat of the past. Now, though, she lay there, with two broken ribs, a cracked femur, and a fractured spine. Whisper had tried everything from healing herbs, to a splint. Aleu was mouth fed twice a day to keep her strength up, but she just wouldn't heal enough. She was in a coma, though they couldn't really tell why.

Aleu awoke from her coma every now, and then. She would hear the forest, feel one of her friends keeping her warm, and once she even had a dream, only to wake for a few moments, before going back to blackness. She had a vague idea that she was hurt, but not healing as usual. Once she realized that she wasn't going to wake on her own, Aleu took the next opportunity to try to contact Muru. When she tried, she found herself very successful. She guessed it was because she had no senses working in her world of blackness. She contacted Muru, and asked, "Muru?" He responded, seemingly nothing more than a faint voice within her furthest dreams, saying, "I am here Aleu, but, I sense you feel as though you are not." She replied, "Am I... Dead, Muru?" Muru actually chuckled at this, and Aleu felt her senses return, and she opened her eyes. She felt no pain. It was dark, yet she still saw everything clearly. Muru stood before her, tiny as ever. "Not yet my friend. I'm afraid that although the choice is up to you, you have not really chosen yet." She felt irritated at his riddle. "Well of course I haven't chosen yet. I'm in a coma." Muru chuckled again, then said, "You are alive Aleu. Your soul is still within you. You must will yourself awake if that is what you want." She stood, but then realized she had been laying on top of someone. She looked down, and jumped out her skin. She actually did, because there, lying beneath her, was her. She gasped and walked over to the side. "Does my fur really look like that?" Muru chuckled again, and suddenly Aleu found herself in the familiar room of white.

Muru paused for a moment, then took on a more serious, and ominous tone, and continued. "If you truly do desire to return to your friends, Aleu, it will not be an easy journey." Before he could say more, Muru vanished in a gust of wind which emanated from seemingly nowhere, and was replaced by the White Wolf, Anyu. "Anyu!", Aleu greeted the ancient spirit enthusiastically, going over to rub against her affectionately. "Hello little one. It has been a while." Aleu looked up to her golden eyes, and smiled. She always felt safe, and happy when her grandmother was communing with her. Anyu continued, saying, "I'm afraid you are in danger Aleu." She looked very serious, though not necessarily sad. Aleu likewise took on a more serious feeling. Aleu already knew the danger, though not why Anyu would bring it up. The white wolf then said, "You did a very brave thing Aleu. You accomplished the unthinkable two days ago, when you brought Sukko to justice. You sacrificed yourself and saved your pack, and a human girl, and without even taking Sukko's life too." Aleu was confused; What did she mean? Did Sukko escape?

Anyu showed Aleu her a memory; The grizzly had gotten himself caught, and the humans took it upon themselves to finish what she had started, having been alerted by the little girl she and Nagu had saved. She blinked, and found herself back in her own mind again. The blood thirsty fiend was finally gone. But Aleu still wondered why she hadn't healed. When she asked Anyu, she replied, "It is because under normal circumstances, you would have already passed on Aleu. Had it not been for my blood running within your veins, you would have passed from this world before the fight had even ended." Aleu only felt shocked. Anyu reminded Aleu, "You still have a choice Aleu. Because of your heritage, and your sacrifice, Muru and I are prepared to give you a final gift." Aleu questioned, asking, "A gift? What kind of gift." Muru reappeared beside Anyu. He said, "Because of the power that exists within you Aleu, you have two options. The first is simple. You can choose to use the remainder of you strength, and awaken. Anyu and I will keep you alive long enough to say good bye to your friends." Anyu now spoke, saying in her cool, echoing voice, "You second choice is more complex. We can heal your back for you Aleu, but it will cost you your power." Aleu's eyes grew wide, and she gaped, feeling at a loss for words. Anyu continued, "You will need to finish your recovery on your own. You will not be as fast, and you will not heal as easily. You will no longer have the ability to commune with us Aleu. You will have to rely upon your friends Nagu, and Whispering-Wind to relay any advice we can give." Aleu was growing solemn at the prospect, though she felt she already knew her answer. Muru continued where Anyu left off, saying, "We will still watch you, Aleu, and you will still be able to speak with other animals. That is a part of who you are. You will be normal." The two spoke the last word of, "Choose!" As they faded away. Aleu thought about what to do now. She knew what she wanted... She wanted to continue living, and learning. She wanted to be with her friends, and with Nagu. She also wanted to possibly see her parents, and family at least once more, before she met her end.

Aleu made her choice. She stood there, surrounded by eternal white light. She closed her eyes, and felt the burning flame of power deep within her. She pulled it forward, and fanned it to life, into a roaring torrential wave of energy. She let the energy flow through her body as before, and let herself slip away into the darkness, focusing on nothing aside from feeling the power flow through her. She started to wake, coming out of her coma. Aleu breathed fresh air into her lungs, and winced as she felt pain; pain from her back, and pain from her ribs and leg. She focused all her energy into the worst injury, which was her back, and pushed it through. She felt a tingle, and heard something scraping and popping. She thought she heard a wolf nearby call out to someone. She eased off of her power, so she could hear.

It was Nagu. He called again for Night-shade to fetch Whispering-Wind, quickly, and said that Aleu was waking. She could hardly believe it. It must have been several days, and yet Nagu lay there, waiting for her! She redoubled her efforts, and felt her skin come to life. She felt the cold, she felt the pain. But then, she felt a burning wave of heat pass through her back as it began popping more. She felt one of her discs set, and pull on the others. She could feel her legs, and her heart beating within her chest. Suddenly, she felt like something was draining her, and realized that her back must be bleeding internally, given the ache. She had one chance to finalize the process; Anyu was right. She would have to give up all her power in one fell swoop.

Aleu felt her whole body was coming back to life, and she took a deep breath, focused, and pushed all her strength, and all her power, through her spine. She felt a jolt, like that of a large static shock, which she remembered from the woolen carpets at her mother's human's house. She heard someone else enter into the den, and call gently to her through her ear. It was Whisper. She whispered to Aleu, saying, "Come back Aleu. We're all here waiting for you." Night-shade was also there, encouraging Aleu.

Just as Aleu thought her strength was about to fail, she felt one, final, loud cracking 'pop' come from her back, as it made the final set, almost fully healed. As it set, she felt a sudden wave a feeling flood into her. She gasped for breath, her eyes flew open, and she jumped slightly, mostly at the sudden wave of pain from her chest and leg, which she could finally feel in their fullest. The others had backed up a step or two when she jumped like that, but now they stood close to her, all talking at once, welcoming her back. She was glad they were there to meet her, but she honestly just wanted to get to sleep; she had no more power, or strength. She could feel it, like an emptiness inside her soul. She was spent, literally. When they had calmed enough to hear her weakened voice, she was able to utter one word: "Water." Night-shade nodded to Whispering-Wind and Nagu, and retrieved a large leaf, with a small pool of water at its center. Aleu lapped eagerly. Feeling slightly less thirsty, she said, in a hoarse, low voice, "Whisper... only you." She wished she could say more, but she was still in great pain. The others left her a Whisper alone, waiting out side. Aleu started to get up, and Whisper quickly lent her a shoulder. She said again, "Water." Whisper nodded to Aleu, and they made their way to the shore. Aleu lay down, and began lapping at the icy water. The sun had been warm enough that day that the ice had thawed in a few places. She felt better after having a good drink. She felt more active. She closed her eyes, and breathed in the cold winter air, smelling the forest around her. She noted she had less of a sense of the life surrounding her, just as Anyu had said. Still, she felt alive, and that was good enough.

Bracing, Aleu dunked her head into the water, and when she came up, she shook herself thoroughly. She felt the damaged ribs flexing slightly, but the healing her body had accomplished was holding. She paused, panting, after the exertion. Whisper had remained silent up till now, simply watching Aleu, to see how she was doing. "I see your feeling mostly better Aleu." Aleu chuckled to herself, and looked Whisper in the eye. The healer gasped. Aleu's radiative glow was no longer present in her eyes. There had always been a hint of her power in her pale, icy eyes, but now they were normal. "Aleu... You're..." Aleu interrupted her, and said, "I'm normal Whisper. In order that I was able to heal, Anyu took my powers away, that I might have a second chance." Whisper sighed inwardly, for she had an understanding of such issues, though they were limited to say the least. Aleu continued, "I'm not fully healed, Whisper. I feel my ribs are still hurt, and my leg is healing, but I can no longer do anymore about it than any other member of this pack." Whisper replied, "Well then; I suppose we should fix you up." Aleu nodded her thanks. She looked behind her, and motioned for the other two to come close, for they were giving her space, as requested.

Once they had sat down before Aleu, Nagu hastily said, "I'm glad your safe Aleu." Night-shade nodded her agreement. Aleu thanked them, and said, "I'm here today because Anyu spared me. However, It has cost me much. I no longer have the powers of the spirits within me." Nagu momentarily allowed a look of sadness to cross his face, while Night-shade stared, wide eyed at the news. Aleu continued, "I am still injured, so I need you help again." They both smiled. They were glad to hear Aleu wasn't daunted by her loss. Nagu replied, "We are here for you Aleu; always." Now Aleu smiled. She began again, "First things first, what happened to Sukko?" Night-shade then proceeded to tell her all that had happened. She told how the humans had come and killed Sukko, and taken him away. She also told Aleu of the little girl they had saved. She had seen them leave, and had returned minutes after the bear was gone, to leave a basket of chicken meat, seemingly as thanks. Aleu was heartened to hear this, but she continued to listen intently as Nagu relayed information about the borders.

Apparently, all the bears were finally asleep, and their had been no activity since Sukko. For this, Aleu was truly glad. She had not failed her pack.

She had saved them.


	10. Chapter 10: A Warm Spring

At first, when Aleu had told her closest friends about having lost her powers in order to remain alive, they had pitied her. They had all grown so used to her being able to walk in dreams, and heal the sick. It wasn't all bad though, since Whispering-Wind could still do those things. However, Aleu had also felt oddly empty for the next few days, like some part of herself was missing. In time though, she would grow to ignore the feeling. In fact, she eventually learned that it was the feeling of humility, and normality. She had experienced it many times when she was younger, long before Nava, or Nagu, or even Muru had shown her what she could do. Now, she welcomed the feeling. It was a reminder for the next few days, that she didn't have to be super powered to be the hero and leader of her pack; She'd proven that once and for all when she had led them to victory against Sukko.

The biggest hurdle for Aleu was actually just the loss of her ability to heal; after all, she still had a cracked femur, and two broken ribs. True, with Whisper's help, they began healing slowly, and normally, but the waiting, and the inability to take action was more agonizing than the remaining pain. Nagu had to take care not to get on her bad side, as she was very irritable at first. On the third day, however, Whispering-Wind gave her the OK to go on small hunts. It gave her something to do at least, and she didn't have to rely on her pack to feed her any longer. Also, it was good exercise for both her muscles, and her bones.

Regardless of her state though, it was still the middle of winter, but Aleu watched as the season grew less cold, and the sunlight began increasing. Winter was on the wane, and almost in line with the sunlight, was her injuries. After three weeks, Aleu was able to go on patrols, and at one point, she even confronted a rogue. The poor wolf declined her offer to stay for a few nights, as he was only passing through.

Though the weather eventually relapsed into the deep winter season, her injuries continued their improvement. After two months, it was the Christmas season for the humans. Aleu actually tried to liven up the mood for her pack too. Whispering-Wind collected frozen holly branches, with the bright red berries still upon them; she also located mistletoe. Along with several other sources of decoration, she eventually managed to organize a small Christmas party. By this point, Aleu felt no pain from her injuries, though Whisper still denied her from going on caribou hunts. Thus, she asked Nagu to help organize a few special hunts. Aleu also must have developed a bit of a wild side while living with the wolves, as she taught Nuk and Sumac a few tricks her father had taught her about swiping food from humans. Together, they managed to get away with almost ten pounds of sausage from the butcher in the village, and many smoked fish and caribou from the smoke house. She wasn't able to help much, but her tips proved invaluable. Luckily there were plenty of stray dogs wandering the village, as they had since discovered. It was the perfect cover. As a result, she showed her pack their very first Christmas celebration. To top it off, she even wound up showing Nagu what happens when you walk under a mistletoe with someone. Of course, she had nothing to do with Night-shade and Sumac arranging the incident, having merley told them about such human customs at an earlier time, but she still found it to be a nice surprise, and from what she could tell, as she gave Nagu one affectionate lick on the brow, so did he. The night proved a massive success. Everyone was happy, well fed, and most importantly, they were safe; And so Aleu was content with the state of her pack.

Shortly after, the weather began warming. Spring was coming early, just as winter had come early. From what she could tell from the air, and the increasing activity, the spring thaw would be in full tilt within weeks. By early January, Aleu's injuries were also almost fully healed, though with some weakness still possible. Nonetheless, Whispering-Wind gave her the OK to attend regular Alpha business, including caribou hunts, but she also made Aleu promise not to do anything crazily dangerous. After all, it would take about six months for her bones to become as strong as they were before Sukko had broken them.

Aleu's feelings of depression, and anxiety seemed to vanish with the darkness and cold of winter. She felt more at ease and, from what she could tell, so did everyone else. She didn't blame them. The winter weather was terrible, and cold, and the lack of sunshine made everyone easier to get into a bad mood. She and Night-shade had taken turns breaking up fights, and moderating dominance battles. One time, after the Christmas celebration, Naynack had tried to challenge Nuk again, and this time Nuk was allowed to beat up on Naynack, but he turned down his right for blood, having been satisfied with the sight of Naynack scurrying away, his tail tucked between his legs. None of that was happening now however. The sun rose earlier with each day, making each new one longer and warmer, save for the torrential downpours common for early and late spring. The only real downside were the ever present insects of the northern lands, which were coming alive again.

In addition to the weather, food quickly became plentiful again. Many birds started returning from the south, and various deer, most smaller than caribou, started becoming common prey. In addition, many of the animals which had previously been hibernating began coming out. Spring had always been Aleu's favorite season, and this one was no different. She especially enjoyed the fresh new smells of springtime plants. Aleu found she rather enjoyed sitting out by the lake, just watching the activities of the forest around her, though she often felt a feeling of mourning for her lost ability to commune with it.

One day, Aleu was out by the lake. She'd gone for a dip, to see if she could catch any fish. She surprised herself when she'd actually managed to catch one. However, it was at the cost of her getting very muddy and cold. She now sat on the shoreline, basking in sunlight, trying to get the mud out her fur. As she focused, she barely managed to catch the sound of a twig snapping in the trees near her. However, she did catch it, but didn't want to give away that she'd noticed, and so she continued cleaning herself. She heard a shuffle of hind quarters, as an animal prepared to pounce. Aleu lowered her head as Nagu sailed over it, growling prematurely in false victory. She raised her head, and caught him by the scruff, causing him to lose his trajectory, and fall over. Aleu then jumped on top of _his_ back, and together, they rolled around in the fresh growing grass, and sand, and still yet some snow. Aleu laughed with the joy of the moment. "Thought you'd get me that easy, did ya?" she teased. Nagu laughed quickly, and replied, "No; never. You're too good for me to catch." They laughed again, as they lay there side by side in the sand. Aleu paused, and nuzzled his cheek quickly, and Nagu responded by helping her finish cleaning her fur, mostly the hard-to-reach top of her head. It had not been the first time they had had the chance to play in the warmth of the spring. Lately, Aleu was spending a great deal more of her time with her friends, most of all Nagu. She had a family now, and had long since started to forget about her long lost family, still on the shores of Nome.

Also, she and Nagu often took time to simply watch the sun-rise, or the sunset. One time, Aleu even convinced Nagu to accompany her to the lake one moonlit night. It was a full moon, and they spend most of the night howling and singing together, as they played, and snuggled. That was a few weeks prior. Now, the weather was only freezing during the night, and Nagu had started shedding his winter coat. Many of the others did as well, but she and Night-shade did not. It mattered not why she didn't, for she was ¾ husky, but Night-shade could only speculate.

Nagu was not the only friend Aleu found in the territory that month. One day, Aleu had gone on a patrol with Nagu, but they had split the border between them. As a result, she was alone in the middle of the woods.

As she went along, occasionally marking a tree or a boulder with her fur scent, she eventually came upon a young rabbit who had apparently wandered from its hole. At first, Aleu had almost stepped on the poor little creature, for it had frozen stiff with fright when she inadvertently snuck up upon it. When she noticed the youngling, she stopped, and apologized for almost stepping on him. Seeing that the little guy was cowering before her, she tried to comfort him, saying, "Hey little guy. I'm sorry I almost stepped on you. Are you alright." The rabbit managed to squeak, "Please... Please don't eat me." Aleu was shocked. The little creature before her couldn't be more than three weeks old, and yet it already knew of predators like herself. She felt compassionate for him, and said, "Hey there, I'm not going to eat you little guy." Her tone and eyes had convinced the baby, so he replied, "You... You're not?" Aleu smiled and shook her head. "No. I don't usually eat little babies. I only kill what I have to, in order to survive. Just like you eat plants to survive." She noticed the rabbit had peaked out from under its paws to look at her. She continued, "I'm sorry I almost stepped on you little guy. My name's Aleu. What's your name?" The rabbit replied that his name was Milo. Aleu thought he was the cutest thing ever. She decided she wouldn't ever eat Milo, or his family. She would mark the area extra well to ward off other predators. She bade Milo good bye after helping him find his home. Needless to say, Milo's parents were surprised when an Alpha wolf brought him back in one piece, before leaving them in peace.

Aleu felt her heart warm with happiness as she watched the parents and siblings welcome the young rabbit home, for they had all assumed the worst. As she watched, they simply swarmed the child with warm hugs, while Milo's sisters vied and competed for his attention. She could help but giggle a little at the sight. She found herself thinking that someday she herself would like to have a family of her own. However, the very thought once again brought forth memories of when she did have siblings, and a mother and a father. She guessed they were all still living, and were perfectly happy with their domestic lives, but she still held out a little hope that perhaps one day, she'd be able to visit them again.

Either way, she was the alpha of an entire pack, and she didn't have a lot of free time. Pups would likely hinder her, and so they would be a major investment of time and resources. Whether or not she ever had pups, she was convinced she didn't have what it would take to raise them as she was.

Aleu had to cut herself short in her private thoughts, as she was nearing the end of her patrol, and soon would need to re-navigate her way back to rendevous with Nagu at the lake. She took one final inward reflection on the subject, and looked back from where she had come, as if she were hoping to see Milo and his family. To be honest, she was feeling as if she actually did want to have pups, but she couldn't quite tell why. She felt almost afraid of having pups, but also of not having them, and it confused her.

As she picked her way through the forest, focused both on her thoughts, and also on navigating the dense forest, she almost didn't notice the growing scent of Night-shade and Taku. She did detect them however, and went to meet them. She had to climb over a hill, and when she looked down the other side, she saw them. The two wolves were walking side by side, talking in low whispers she couldn't make out, partly stalking but also they seemed to just be keeping each other company. Aleu watched as Night-shade gave Taku an affectionate lick on the shoulder. Aleu lost her concetration on the two when she heard a twig snap beside her. Her ears immediately rotated toward the noise, and she glanced over to see a field mouse. For a moment, Aleu felt a spark of hope that it might be Muru. However, Muru had a special scent, and was larger. She was able to tell that it was in fact not Muru. She sighed inwardly, feeling the sorrow for her lost power return for a moment. Aleu felt her stomach growl; she knew this was the part she hated about being a wolf, though she had to admit there was a certain alure to having to bring down your own food. She took to a crouch, and snuck up to the mouse before ending it with a quick motion of her jaws. She downed the small creature with a single gulp, and quickly felt relief for her hunger.

Aleu now returned her attention to her friend, who had since scented her and was approaching. Night-shade began, "Hi Aleu! I smell a mouse. Were you successful with your hunt?" Aleu replied simply, saying, "Actually, yes. It was a small thing though. Still... we mustn't be picky about what food we are able to catch." She had a look of indifference before, but she now wore an expression of more seriousness and she continued, "Have the two of you had any success today?" Night-shade looked down to her paws for a moment, and then cast a glance to Taku when she said, "No, not really." Aleu got the sense there was a hidden joke between the two of them. She guessed it was because neither of them was willing to be quiet during hunting, as she had observed from the hill top.

The look Taku and Night-shade had exchanged made Aleu feel a sense of longing. She knew very well that Night-shade and Taku enjoyed each other's company, but she felt she and Nagu didn't have quite the same relationship. Hers felt more complicated, as he was her subordinate, whereas Taku had been a Beta under Nava, and had risen on his own under her rule to the level just beneath a Beta. Come to think of it, he had only ever proven trustworthy and loyal; Aleu made a note that she ought to also offer him a position as Beta, if he proved he could be useful with it. It was a lovely thing the two wolves before her shared, and Aleu felt she was not getting all she wanted from her own relation to Nagu.

She was once again brought out of her thoughts abruptly as Night-shade called her name. At first she jumped slightly, and was momentarily confused. Apparently Night-shade had called her name twice, and had said something to her. Seeing Aleu's reaction, though, made Night-shade feel a little concerned. She asked Aleu if there was anything wrong, and Aleu replied, "Actually... yes, Night-shade. I, uh, I need to speak to you..." She cast a glance to the patiently waiting Taku, and said to Night-shade, her voice slightly lower, "Alone." Night-shade's eyes betrayed her increasing concern, but she nodded to Aleu, and walked over to Taku. She whispered something in his ear, and though Aleu had almost strained to hear it, she didn't catch it. Night-shade bade the omega goodbye, and agreed to meet him at the den later. She now turned her attention back to Aleu.

Aleu sat waiting for her friend, thinking about several things. Once again, Night-shade almost had to snap her out of her trance-like state. "Are you _sure_ you're OK?" Shade questioned. Aleu only shook her head slowly. She looked solemnly down to her forepaws as she sat, and said, "No... No I don't think I am, Shade." Night-shade felt a pang of sympathy. She asked Aleu why, and what was wrong. She also brought up Aleu's obvious short attention, and tendency to daydream as of late. Aleu wasn't sure, however, for she also believed that what was wrong wasn't likely anything she was ill from. It was likely a feeling or something.

Night-shade wasn't satisfied, and now asked, "Well, you seem to know your own feelings are different. So, what's different about them?" Aleu looked thoughtful for a moment while she mulled over all the strange feelings she'd had lately. She then told Night-shade about how she was once again missing her family, but was also feeling a strange out of place longing for her own family. She told Shade of how she felt afraid that she may not ever have the chance to have a family since she had left Nome. She didn't even try to hide the emotion in her voice, as she started sounding desperate when she asked, "What if I never get to see my family again? What if I wind up missing out on my own life while getting all caught up taking care of the pack?" Night-shade took notice of her points now.

Night-shade had an idea of what _might_ be wrong with Aleu. To test her theory, she asked Aleu about Nagu, since she was closest to him. She asked, "You are my leader, Aleu. You are also my friend." He gaze was steady, and Aleu felt a warmth and wisdom much like Nagu's and Whisper's in it. Shade continued, "You are a smart wolf, and a strong leader. I honestly don't believe you have anything to worry about. If you ever wished to have a family of your own, I don't believe you would have to be alone. You have me, and Nagu and Whisper to help you. We will all support you in whatever decision you make, and for that matter, so will the rest of the pack." Now Night-shade took on a slight, glinting look of amusement, and asked, "On that note, I've noticed that you and Nagu have been spending a lot of time together lately." Aleu's ears perked up at the mention of Nagu, and she listened more intently as Shade continued, saying "If you are looking for someone closer than a friend, Aleu, I can't imagine that Nagu would ever do anything to dissapoint you. He often tells me of how he worries for you. He was actually the one who first told me of your strange activities, and how you haven't been sleeping enough lately." She sat down, still looking at Aleu, and waited for her response.

Aleu had a feeling that this was where the conversation was headed, still, she didn't necessarily dislike that it had come to this. After all, Night-shade was right. She admitted to herself now that she really did have feelings for Nagu. She then admitted this to Night-shade, saying, "To be honest, Shade, I think I like Nagu. He's just always been there for me; ya' know?" Night-shade stared passively as Aleu continued. "I really can't sleep lately..." Aleu now began pacing. "Sometimes I dream of how I'll never get to see my family again, sometimes I dream of Nagu disappearing." She looked to Night-shade now, and said, "Sometimes I dream I disappear and no-one will remember me." Night-shade took on a look of shock, and replied, "Aleu, under your leader ship, our greatest enemy in generations was brought to justice. We will never forget you!" Aleu was feeling cross, and frustrated at herself now, and she decided to stop hiding her feelings. She blurted, "What if I never get the chance to have my own children!?" She paused to look down at her feet, and sat down, a feeling of dread overcoming her, her voice shaking with it, and she murmured, "When I was out... after the battle..." She looked up to the sky, as if looking at something distant. "I actually died for a time. Anyu brought me back at the cost of my powers but... but what if something happens again? This time, it really will be my time, and then I'll be out of time. I'll never se my family again, and I'll never be able to have my own."

Night-shade was sure she understood what was wrong with Aleu now. She began, "Aleu, you don't have to worry about those things as much as you think. It's like I said before. You have us. Even if something happened to you, if you ever had a family, they would be just fine. As for you parents, and siblings, I don't know if you will ever have the chance to see them. But either way, we will be here to help you through what ever choice you make, whether it's to go see them again, should the ice bridge form again, or not." Aleu was once again blown away by Shade's wisdom. She hadn't a clue how the lot of them had managed to get so much wisdom passed down to them from Nava. Still, Night-shade's words did provide an amount of comfort, and she was glad for it. She realized that she had been holding her breath for a little while now, and she brethed out, her feelings of anxiety went with it.

Night-shade continued, saying, "If you want my personal opinion, Aleu, Nagu would be an excellent father, if you ever choose to find one for your pups. Since I can only give you advice however, I believe you should pursue your relationship further. It would only make your bond as alpha and advisor all the more powerful, anyway." Aleu had been prepared for the familiar feeling of embarrassment to return, but she was surprised when it didn't. Instead, she felt her heart swell with hope. Night-shade was right. No matter what, she really ought to get closer to Nagu, and so she would. Still, Aleu wondered, why now?

She asked Night-shade, but the dark wolf knew the answer to that question as well. She reassured Aleu, saying, "It's just that time of year, Aleu. It's the season when most animals are getting ready to have their babies. If you've noticed, all the birds, and rabiits and mice... most of the smaller animals have already had their children for the spring season. I think you're just entering your very first heat." Aleu almost gawked at Night-shade. She was so matter of fact, yet she couldn't help but admire her for it. No Aleu asked Night-shade, "And what about you, then. You're spending a lot of time with Taku lately. What's going on there?" She had a tone of her own amusement, but it was quickly deflated by Night-shade's matter-of-fact tone, as she replied, "This is my second heat Aleu. I, for one, am considering having a litter of my own." She paused now, considereing her next statement, and continued, "If I do have a litter, it will depend on quite a few factors. For one, I'm still not certain I want Taku to father my pups. He may be a good one time mate, but then again, I really like him. I'm curious to know how much he actually likes me. Also," She looked now to Aleu, "pups are big decision. They need a lot of food and teaching until they're ready to hunt themselves, so in the end, it's actually often left to the alpha to be the example and to make the final decsion of how plentiful prey is." She noticed Aleu's look of concern at this, and quickly added, "Of course, it isn't like it's unclear or anything this season. There are Musk oxen to the North-east, and caribou, deer, and small prey are still abundant. This new land can yet support a good number of wolves, as long as we don't upset the balance, or the humans." Aleu's look of concern faded a little.

Aleu was still supprised at the news Night-shade had brought up, however. She had often heard her mother speak with her father about going into heat. One time, she Balto had even asked her how she would like to have more brothers and sisters. She was still young at the time, and she only knew that more siblings meant more fun. Of course, it had not come to be. Rosy, Jenna's human, had gone off to boarding school for that spring, and Jenna had left with her, bringing her parents' dreams of becoming parents again to a hault. According to her mother, when she had talked to her on her return during the summer, going through a heat cycle was like a roller coaster of emotion the first time. She also advised Aleu that someday she would have the chance to become a mother, and that when that time came, she should consider al the options carefully. She hadn't fully understood at the time, but now she felt she had a better grasp. She was already feeling the roller coaster of emotion, mostly more accute sorrows and feelings of longing. Knowing this however, Aleu felt she would be able to more carefully regulate herself.

With the knowledge that she was about to enter her first heat in mind, she thought she ought to ask someone knowledgeable on the subject for advice. Since Night-shade was two years old, and was already before her, she would start with her. She began, "Well then, What about you, Night-shade? What did you do during your first heat." Night-shade's ears twitched as she thought on the subject for a few moments, remembering her first cycle. She recalled, saying, "When I went through my first heat, I was already an orphan. Nava was there for me, and though he didn't try to stop me from finding a mate, he advised me to be very careful about my decsion." She paused, smiling inwardly at the memory, before continuing, "Needless to say, I decided to grin and bare it. I had been god friends with Taku even then, but I didn't want to have so much responsibility at only a year and a half." She stood now, and she and Aleu began walking through the forest toward the lake, for it was getting late. She asserted now, "I wasn't ready to be a mother, Aleu... but, if you want my advice, I can only say that you appear to have everything under control for the most part. If you were to choose to become a mother during this season, I believe that you would be fine. We have food, we have protection... and you have Nagu, Whisper, and me."

Aleu was glad for the reassurance, but she wasn't convinced. If she was going to be a mother, it had to be for the right reasons, and she still wasn't convinced if she _had_ all the right reasons. She still feared time constraints, and the dangers of the forest. That aside, she also wasn't certain she could raise them properly, even with Nagu by her side. She knew a little about being a dog, and enough about being a wolf, but the question was, would she be able to teach her pups of both sides, or just the one side she had only recently learned of herself. She wasn't cut out for motherhood as is, and would need to be more prepared for everything it entailed. Even if it would only take a single year before her children would be grown and on their own, she would need to be there for them. She would also need to be there for Nagu, and her pack, all simultaneously.

Aleu decided she would first get advice from Whisper, and maybe even Honeysuckle, who was sixteen months old, only slightly younger than herself, at almost two years. Aleu also asked Night-shade if she should discuss any of the issue with Nagu. As she had guessed, Night-shade was emphatic that she should absolutely discuss mother hood with Nagu. Not only would it give her his perspective as a male, and a potential mate, one Aleu hoped would be life long, but Nagu was also arguably the wisest of the wolves in the pack. He would provide invaluable insight, even in this subject.

With this in mind, Aleu and Night-shade made their way through the forest, and Aleu was surprised when they arrived at the lake ahead of Nagu. Apparently he had ran into more trouble than she had, but he was no worse for wear, as was normal for a regular outing. When Aleu questioned him about what had kept him, he informed Aleu that he had followed several bear tracks out of the territory. At first, this alarmed Aleu, but Nagu reassured her that it was perfectly normal for the time of year. Aleu was relieved to hear that the bears had left the territory, but the news only renewed some of her earlier fears about motherhood. Still, she was convinced she ought to seek guidance before she made any conclusions, so she decided to pursue the subject with Nagu.

They were at the lake now, and Aleu and Nagu bade Night-shade good-bye, and watched her leave to find Taku at the den. With no audience around, even one she trusted as well as Night-shade, Aleu still felt more comfortable about what she was going to bring up. It was the perfect place and time, as they were alone by their shared personal den she and Nagu had visited so many times before. The air was crisp, and chill with the coming night, but not uncomfortably. They could clearly see the sun setting from where they sat side-by-side on the sand, and Aleu found that even though the forest was alive and noisy, she could have sworn she could even make out the soft rythmic beat of Nagu's steady heart within his chest. It was an inspirational setting, and Aleu felt she would never have a better opportunity.

Trying not to seem pushy, or obvious, or even forward, Aleu started the subject from an indirect standpoint, she began, "Today I saw a lot of animals have had their young recently, Nagu. I would assume it's a good sign that we aren't in danger of starving anytime soon, right?" Nagu had brought his gaze to Aleu when she spoke, but now he flicked his ears, and looked back to the forest across the lake, and replied, "If the past is a teacher, then this spring is showing a lot of promise." He paused for a moment, and Aleu watched his every motion intently. Nagu continued, "It does seem that this land is very abundant. If there is any dangers, it'll be from intruders and human hunting along side us." Aleu's ears twitched at the sound of a twig breaking somewhere nearby, but she guessed it was a falling twig, rather than a sneak. Nagu's statement had caught her attention more. "Are you saying we might have to compete with other predators," she asked. Nagu looked to her now, and his look told her the answer. She thought silently, "great! One more thing on my plate." However, Aleu saw this as a good chance to broach the subject that was greatly itching at the back of her mind. She started again, hinting at her point, "Aside from increased patrols, is there anything we can do to keep the odds in our favor, so we won't be hard pressed to fight for the land? I mean, I've seen that many of our wolves seem to be seeking mates now. We could always use the extra muscle, right?" She paused for a moment, then said, "What do you think Nava would do?" Aleu's original statement had surprised Nagu a little, but he now looked thoughtfully to the sky, and after a moment, replied, "I believe Nava would have encouraged some of the wolves in the clan to have litters for at least this season. What happens next spring is unknown, so we can't really plan for it very easily." This was a suprisingly satisfying answer, in as much as it was true they could use the extra fighters and hunters to help guard the borders in the near future. She also made a note that she would also probably consider taking in any wanderers for the same reason. Still, she still hadn't gotten the answer she had been searching for.

Nagu watched Aleu as she pondered these thoughts, her face screwed up slightly, as though deep in thought. "Aleu?" He interrupted, "Are you alright?" His question had pulled her from once again falling into her own thoughts, and she knew that it was now, or never. She took a breath, and began, slowly, picking each word carefully. "I've been thinking about having a litter too, Nagu. I, uh... I was hoping you'd have some advice for me." Nagu was hardly surprised, and that surprised Aleu.

Nagu actually smiled a little, and replied with a slight hint of amusement, "Well I can only tell you what I know, Aleu; and I know that Nava had two mates. Both eventually were killed, trajically, but he did have one surviving pup, even after Sukko." Aleu already knew full well that the surviving pup was Whispering-wind. She would speak with her later too. Nagu continued, "Nava was very matter-of-fact about the whole issue of mates. Sure, he loved my grandmother, but he also loved his pack, and every season he would set an example, based upon the need for new, young wolves, and the amount of prey that was available." He looked to Aleu now, a more serious tone taking place of the humorous one as he explained. He continued, "As the Alpha, you must serve as an example as well. Whether or not you decide to try to have your own litter this season, the pack will look to you for the final word." This news was somewhat unexpected, and Aleu felt overwhelmed by it for a moment. She would be the one to dictate the fate of entire litters this season, and every spring afterward, until she passed from being Alpha. Her look told Nagu the same, so he was quick to reassure her that it wasn't always as serious as it sounded. He also gave her his own two cents, stating that he believed they would soon need several new, young wolves to take the place of elders such as Aga on hunts and patrols.

Aleu looked up to his slightly taller form, subtley sillouehtted now by the almost set sun. He eyes betrayed he feelings of longing, but Nagu was looking away. She intimated now, slowly, and deliberately, saying, "Do _you_ think I should have a litter this year, Nagu?" She left out the part where she wanted him to father her children, as she didn't want to suggest anything too certainly yet. Nagu's ears shot bolt upward with suprise. He turned to her, and began, "Why do you ask me, Aleu? I think Whisper would be more qualified to anwer that." "Shoot!" She thought to herself, for she knew he had guessed her reason. Still, Nagu hadn't hinted that he was going to push his opinions any further, and for that, Aleu was relieved. She said simply, "It's just that ever since my injuries by Sukko, I've been more conscious about how much time I have left. Night-shade tells me she has yet to have any pups herself, and she's almost three. I was hoping you would have a good opinion of your own." Nagu looked thoughtfully at Aleu, satisfied with her answer. After a few moments, he looked away, and answered, almost passively, "I don't know the limits of your body, Aleu. Like I said, Whispering-wind would be a valuable advisor on this. All I can say is that you should balance the options carefully." Aleu was confused at this. She thought she'd already looked at her options. However, Nagu interrupted her thoughts again, as he continued, "If you choose a mate, choose wisely, Aleu. It is costum that when a female Alpha takes a mate, it is for life, as she must rely upon him to lead the pack while nursing her young." Aleu had partially considered this too, and she knew Nagu already guessed she had chosen him for the same reason.

Aleu grew tired of the sherade now. She sighed, and lay down in the sand, the heat still flowing into her as the air grew cold. Nagu immitated her, and watched her closely, slightly concerend at her reaction. "I'm not sure of anything yet, Nagu." She paused, and looked him in the eyes, and said, "But I think I want you to be my mate... I love you." Nagu's eyes grew tender, and his ears went limp with emotion. He had waited for so long to hear her say that. After all, he was still a Beta; he couldn't just say the same to her. He sighed, and looked away. Aleu had poured her heart out to him this night, but he couldn't take it from her; not yet anyway. He closed his eyes, fighting tears, though careful not to show it, and replied, gingerly, "Thank you, Aleu. However, your going through your first heat, and you may not be thinking straight." He snorted, as he said, "You're probably going to get even worse without Whisper's help." Nagu took a breath, and looked to Aleu with a grim determination that told her that the moment was gone. He said, "You're right to be unsure, Aleu; you should ask Whisper what she thinks first." Before she could reply, he leapt up, and jogged off, vanishing into the tree line, leaving Aleu with a look of desperate, confused sorrow upon her face, watching after where she'd last seen him.

Aleu did not see Nagu again that day, at least not as far as the night had worn on thus far. She had gone back to the den, and sought him out, desperate to make ammends, though she knew not what had upset him. She had hoped he would be thrilled to pursue their relation further. It was not to be, however, as he had taken out another patrol. Aleu felt sick when Night-shade had come up to her, and reported that Nagu had asked her to pass on a message that did not wish to speak with her for now, and had thus gone on patrol. Night-shade seemed grief stricken at delivering the news, guessing the worst, though she didn't press the subject.

Feeling deflated, Aleu went over to where Whispering-Wind was tending Yak, helping him pick ticks from his rump. She cleared her throat, to announce her presence, and had to reassure Whisper that she didn't wish to interrupt, rather that she merely wished to speak when she had finished. Whisper had nodded her acknowledgement, he teeth, dug into Yak's fur, as he picked through his shoulder, pausing to nodd his own repsects to her. Aleu now waited, laying on the cool rock floor near the wall, once again feeling herslef slip away into her own deep thoughts.

She was called back to her senses by Whisper's gentle prodding in her shoulder. Aleu looked up, and blinked at Whisper a few times, before realizing that she had finally finished with Yak's ticks, and was ready for her. Aleu sat upright, matching Whisper's height. The gold streaked wolf began, "So, Aleu. What brings you over here, to the infirm." Aleu knew better than to play with Whisper like a cat, so she started outright, saying, "I need some advice, Whisper. I think I'm about to enter my very first heat cycle, but I don't know what to do." Aleu paused long enough to notice Whisper's look of suprise. Whisper interceeded, saying, "That's strange, Aleu. If you're more than two now, I'd have expected that you'd already have had you're first cycle." Aleu nodded her comfirmation and said, "Reagardless, it's happening now, and I'm not sure if I should consider becoming a mother this year... or any year." Whisper sighed heavily, and began lecturing Aleu about the intricacies of childbirth, starting, "Well, Aleu... I can certainly tell you that it's not a game. Motherhood is a lot more dangerous out here than it would be back in Nome where there are humans with their medicines and guns to keep you and you children safe. Out here, well, I would be the one responsible for keeping any complications under control. I assume you've already considered that whoever you choose to be your mate will likely need to be someone who could replace you as Alpha for a few weeks, as you'll be very vunerable immediately before, and after child birth." Aleu listened intently as Whisper went on to describe that she would need a secluded area for herself, and her pups, and that her mate, Nagu, she hoped, ought to be the only other individual allowed anywhere near the den for the first month or so. Aleu was also supprised to hear some of the complex issues which might arise during development, birthing, or even during her mating that could prove problematic, or even dangerous. It was head spinning to have so much information dropped upon her like that, and Whisper cut the lesson short, knowing full well that Aleu wouldn't be able to remember everything. In the end, she offered to do several tests upon Aleu the next morning, in order to guage whether or not Aleu's body was ready for the stresses of child rearing.

Aleu thanked Whisper for her advice, and her help via the coming tests, and they parted ways. She was about to retire to her ledge, but Nagu's call from behind her caught her attention. She spun around, and saw him there, at the entrance. He trotted up to her and spoke with a low, careful voice. He asked to speak with her outside. She was surprised at his appearance, but she was desperate to find out what had hurt him so badly before, so she was glad for the chance to speak with him.

Once outside, and atop the hill above the den, she stopped short, and watched him. He sat there, beneath the moonlight, his back and tail reflected the monochromatic light, and the still barren tree branches above, some now growing leaf buds, danced in the breeze, their motions casting similarly dancing shadows upon her snout, and Nagu's fur. He was watching the almost full moon until now, and he breathed in, and sighed deeply. "I trust you've confided in Whispering-Wind, Aleu?", he inquired. She replied that she had, and he nodded absently, and returned his gaze to the moon. She drew even with him, and he closed his eyes for a moment, taking in her scent. He opened his eyes, and looked to her.

Aleu was also illuminated by the moonlight. He icy blue eyes litterally spakled with the twinkling starlinght, and the dancing shadows. Her normally tan colored fur looked unusually smooth, and silky, as it reflected a golden look under the pale light. "Aleu, I have to know..." he confided, "Do you really love me?" Aleu's eyes began to tear up with emotion, and she sat down beside her love, and began nuzzling her head beneath his chin. "I do love you Nagu. I've always known I have, but I never really let myself believe it until..." She stopped, and regretted her statement, feeling the fears well up in her chest again. She swallowed, and continued, "Until you saved me from Sukko." Nagu laughed a single time, and replied, "You did more than save me first, Aleu. I told you I'd always be there for you." Aleu looked him in the eye, and she saw love there. Just to be sure though, she listened to his response as she asked, "Do you love me?"

Nagu had held back until now, but now he cuddled her back, a little more roughly, and said, "Oh Aleu, I've loved you ever since I saw you in my dreams as a pup." Aleu stopped cuddling Nagu's chest now, her ears taught, and upright. "What do you mean?" she demanded. Nagu had been sorry to have told her so bluntly, and she could see it. Still, she was very confused. She listened as he replied, "Nava didn't just call your father for a short time, Aleu. The first time he asked Anyu to call upon you, I was a very young pup, and I believe it was the same night you were concieved." Not for the first time, Aleu felt frustrated, and slightly overwhelmed by the knowledge that the spirits often interceeded with mortals in such cosmic ways. Nagu interrupted her thoughts, as he stated, "I saw you in a vision as a pup; you were only a new born. Nava told me you might be the one to save us from Sukko, and I knew from that moment, that that pup, that you, Aleu... You would be the one I loved... forever." Finally hearing this, Aleu felt a single tear of joy fall from her eye. She caressed Nagu's chest more gently now, and so they spent several hours that night like that, speaking gently to one another, and keeping each other company, before finally retireing to the den from the frosty spring night.

The next day, she awoke before the sun, and Nagu awoke beside her. Together, they planned the day's patrols, and a caribou hunt. Night-shade also headed a scouting party to see if there was any sign of other prey, such as the incident with the musk oxen herd. Nagu had his own duties that day, so Aleu left him to it. As for her own duties, they were completed quickly, and Whispering-Wind had given her the 'all-clear' to have children, leaving her with free time to go hunting, or perhaps for a walk. Nuk stood guard in the cave with Whisper to micromanage anything significant, such as a fight, or an injury. Aleu took the opportunity to go for a spirit walk, or rather, a walk for her own spirit. She felt both lighter, and more greived. She had moved past her previous barriers, and had decided she would become a mother. She felt confident that she was ready, but she wanted to to think things over one last time before informing Nagu and Whispering-Wind of her decision.

Aleu visited the lake, and sat down beside the den she and Nagu often shared. She thought about what Nagu had said the previous night, about knowing her before she eyes were even open. Thinking on this made her remember her old life, back in Nome. She felt a familiar pang of saddness at the thought, for it was unlikely she would ever see them again. She noted with a surge of frustration that she had started to forget the sound of her father's, Jenna's, and even her brother, Kodi's, voices. She took a breath, and walked to the waters edge. As she watched her reflection, a breeze came up, and ripples distorted her image, and she saw, instead, the face of Anyu. She forced herself not to gasp in joy, and she listened instead. She heard the echo of Anyu's voice sound from the forest around her; she said, "It's time to let them go, Aleu; let them go, and start anew." She glanced around the clearing, gawking at the event.

Aleu knew Anyu was right. It was high time she let her family go, once and for all. She looked back to her reflection, and saw her entire family standing behind, also looking down, and smiling. She forced herself not to look behind her, and instead, sighed, and bade them all farewell, saying, "Goodbye Pappa." Balto blinked at her, smiling more widely. "Good bye mother. I'll miss you both, but we'll be together again." Jenna's image smiled, and barked happily, though, oddly, no sound was heard. Aleu turned her gaze to her siblings. She bade each one farewell, starting with Dingo, and ending with Kodiack. When she had finally finished, a second breeze came, and she once again looked upon her reflection. A single tear fell from her eye, and fell into the water, creating ripples over the mostly smooth surface.

Aleu still had time to kill, so she decided to visit the village, though she wouldn't get too close. When she'd climbed over the moutain ridge an hour later, she saw that the forest was coming alive with green. Birds flew through the air, and there was green where there had once been snow and dead leaves. She breathed in the view for a moment, before she caught the sent of the fireplace in the farm house a few miles away. She trotted along, watching to make sure she didn't get caught in a trap. She'd learned well from the incident with the snare.

When Aleu arrived at the clearing, she saw that there were many animals in the pasture, not all sheep now. She saw the little girl she and Nagu had saved. Aleu carefully made her way closer; she wanted to know more about this child. There was something special about her, though she didn't know why. She was just beyond the fence now, and the girl would have seen her crouching in the grass had she been looking. The little girl was milking a large Yak, and the two seemed to be speaking, though Aleu couldn't make out what the girl was saying, as she was turned away. The Yak had a muffled tone, and spoke with a thick accent. Yet, Aleu was surprised to see that the Yak seemed to speak to the girl. This confused Aleu, but she hadn't anymore time, as she decided it was high time to leave the open, and head back. As she picked her way back to the tree line, she felt an inkling curiosity of what might have been if she _had_ been adopted by a human. She also felt a longing feeling both for a child of her own, but also for a human companion, much like her mother's girl, Rosy. Aleu was interrupted when she narrowly avoided stepping in a snare. She growled in frustration, and tripped the spring loaded wire, cursing it for its placement.

Aleu was headed back, and had almost reached the lake again, when she was jumped by no less than Milo. "Hi there, Aleu!" He greeted her, clutching her foreleg. Aleu had started, and quickly scolded him for sneaking up on her, as it was dangerous for him. Regardless, she was glad to see the little rabbit was still alive. "Well, I'm glad to see you too, Milo." She admitted. He smiled up at her, and climbed a tree stump, so he was eye level. "I need your help, Aleu." "My help?" she inquired. The rabbit nodded, looked over his shoulder, and leaned toward Aleu, cupping a single paw to whisper. She leaned down, and heard him say, "My sisters have been after me all day. Can you help me get away from them?" Aleu felt she was hardly a good playmate for the small creature, but she couldn't deny him. She was bored, and he was cute. "Oh... alright." She finally conceeded. "Yyyessss!", Milo motioned with an emphatic fist pump. Suddenly, Aleu and Milo heard a chorus of the cutest sounding little girl rabbits, as they sang, "Oh big brother!? Where are you!?" Milo screamed, and ushered Aleu onward, hopping onto her back, hoping to get a safe spot vantage point. Aleu couldn't help but gigle, not only at the hillarity of the situation, but also because Milo was so light, and soft, he tickled her back.

Then, a group of five or six, they wouldn't stop bouncing long enough to count, little rabbits, all girls, and all smaller than Milo came bound up, onto the stump, and stopped short, and gasped when they saw Aleu, and Milo. Aleu took the opportunity to growl at them, though as un menacingly as she could manage. The little bunnies simply burst out into giggles, and this surprised Aleu. One of the bunnies stopped giggling long enough to step forward, and greet Aleu, saying, "It's good to see you too, miss Aleu." Aleu's ears twitched foreward with suprise; how did these little ones know her so well? Still, she didn't want to be rude, and seeing that Milo's cover was blown, she returned her own greeting to all the little rabbits. Apparently the parents had told them all about her deed with Milo, and they understood now. They had also seen her pass through many times. Sometimes she'd even spoken with Milo, but she'd not know she was being observed. Before too long, a more mature rabbit called them home, and she guessed it was there mother. The lot of them wished Aleu goodbye, and she bade them farewell too. Aleu once again felt a longing for her own family, and her own children.

Aleu made her way home, to the den after that. She almost bumped into Nagu as he was coming out of the entrance. She took the opportunity to tell him her decision. "Nagu?" She started, "I've made up my mind." Nagu had been busy, but now he sat down, and listened. Aleu took a breath, and admitted, "I think nothing would make me happier than for you to become my life mate, and to father our pups." A look of relief washed over Aleu, and she saw a similar reaction from nagu, as he let out a breath he was holding. She was interrupted from a chorus of joyous howls from the assembled wolves before them, cheering for the new couple. Aleu felt her cheeks flush, and and she took on a bashful look, as Nagu gave her a gentle lick on her muzzle. She returned the gesture, and then the two cuddled together again. Though the cheering had calmed, and business continued, every wolf who filed past them spoke his or her congratulations. That night, Aleu and Nagu slept peacefully together, more peacefully than she'd slept in many nights.

The next day was very busy. Aleu had announced that based upon the scout reports, and her own and Nagu's intuition, she believed it was an excellent idea for the other couples in the pack to raise their own litters. As a result, she and Whispering-Wind had to direct the assembly of a new den near the existing one. It would serve as the nursery for nursing and expecting mothers for a long time. On a similar note, she and Nagu later met at the lake and together they made the existing den their large enough for Aleu and their pups to be kept safe from danger, and warm at night. It would also be where Aleu and Nagu decided they would concieve their children.

The next few days went on like that until the preparations were made. The wheather had warmed, and now it began raining more often than it snowed. The trees were well on their way to regrowing all the lost leaves, and withint another weak, Aleu finally went into heat. As it was her very first one, she was thankful for Whispering-Wind and Night-shade being so available. That was when she and Nagu moved away to the lake den, and so they spent the next few nights.

Nothing seemed to go wrong at anytime, according to Whispering-Wind's warnings, and within another week, Whisper came to check on Aleu. Aleu was as elated as Whisper was to give the good news to Nagu, that she had in fact become pregnant. Aleu had never seen Nagu happier than when he walked in, and she sat him down, and told him. He had been hardly able to contain himself. That night, Aleu decided to sleep in the main den, and when she had walked in that afternoon, she was greeted not only by the horrendous congratulative chorus of her pack, but she was also given the good news that Night-shade and Taku had also decided to sire a litter of their own. Aleu felt so happy for them; she believed it may well have been one of the happiest days she could remember. The next few days passed as normal, for Aleu was expecting, and she quickly began craving certain foods, but she was still able to continue her duties as the alpha for a few more weeks, according to Whispering-Wind.

A week later, she and Nagu had decided to stay at the den again for the night. All was calm, the expecting mothers had moved into the nursery, and the clan had been hunting that day. As a result, Aleu felt confident that she could leave the clan to Whisper, Nuk, and the recently promoted Taku, who would take Night-shade's place while she nursed her own pups. And so Aleu and Nagu spent the night by the lake shore. They lay there now, on the sand, watching the moon rise, and the sun set. Aleu leaned her head on his shoulder. Aleu felt this was what she was meant to do; it was her true, and final destiny. After all she and her family and friends had been through, it was finally coming to a peaceful end. "Nagu?" She began. "Thankyou. Thankyou for everything." Nagu had only smiled, and replied, "No, Aleu. Thank you. Because of you, the pack is finally secure, for the first time in two generations." She smiled, and pushed her head beneath his chin, so he rested on hers. She closed her eyes, and felt a single tear of joy fall to the earth. Above them, Anyu's face watched them as a cloud for a single moment. Aleu thought she could hear the whisper of her guide, Muru, as he said with the wind, one simple phrase.

"Well done."

**THE END**


End file.
